Chocolate Beet Cake

As I mentioned yesterday, I was (and still am) daunted by the beets and the cabbage that we got in our Week 8 box. I did get some really great suggestions on facebook though for how to make use of both - yay and thank you! So somehow I feel like I cheated a little, but when I was scrolling Pinterest for recipe ideas and saw one for a chocolate beet cake, I repinned it right away and didn't look any further for ideas. And I think I was so relieved to see the word "cake" that it also didn't occur to me to browse around for other cake or dessert ideas that used beets. Now I know that there are a lot out there, and some variations that look really good! So all that to say that I can't vouch for this recipe in particular; I literally tried the first one I found.

My mom always says that beets taste like dirt, and I think I agree with her. I haven't yet written them off entirely, but I have to say that I even found the process of boiling, peeling and dicing these guys to prepare them for the batter to be pretty distasteful. They boiled for 20 minutes and by the end of it, the whole kitchen smelled like the ground! The aroma during baking was much nicer, once the chocolate was in the mix too, but by then I wasn't expecting much. My first few tastes put me on the fence, but this cake has really grown on me throughout the week. I would say it does have a bit of an earthy flavor to it somewhere in there, but it works.

Chocolate Beet Cake on Gourmet Heartbeat 

Used From Our CSA
chioggia beets

Thoughts on the Recipe
- I was short on beets, and had only one and a half of the two cups the recipe calls for. It worked out okay, obviously, and probably gave me less of that earthiness I mentioned above. I added a little extra applesauce to help make up the volume.
- The recipe recommends a bundt pan for this cake, which would have been very cute, but we don't own one. Instead I divided the batter in two and used my loaf pan twice. I guess I could have also halved the recipe, but then I wouldn't have been able to use up all the beets! I watched it closely, but the baking time ended up being about the same.
- Yes to chocolate chips! I love the texture they give to a chocolate cake. I was generous with them.

So now I can say I've baked with beets. We are slotted to get some more in Week 9, so let's see if I get brave and actually try a savory dish next time, or if I just stick to putting beets in baked goods from here on out.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Is anybody getting sick of rhubarb? I am totally not... I had eaten it, but never cooked with it before this season, and I'm having a lot of fun! I also didn't know that the rhubarb window would be open this long. Each week I think, "This is probably the last batch of rhubarb we'll get." and then am pleasantly surprised and ready to accept the challenge with another new recipe the following week. This strawberry-rhubarb crumb cake constitutes the 3rd rhubarb recipe I've made this year and (spoiler alert) there is a 4th one in the works for this week. Just say yes to rhubarb.

My only problem with this cake (or maybe just an observation) is that is really was at its best the day after I baked it. It didn't serve well as a keep-it-around-for-a-week-and nibble-off-it cake; it's more like a make-for-a-party-so-it-all-gets-enjoyed-while-it's-fresh cake. After a couple of days the cake layer got a bit stale and the crumble topping lost its crunch because of the moist fruit layer beneath. So there's my recommendation: make it to share, or just eat a whole bunch of cake by yourself, all at once, while it's still super yummy. Either way.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake on my baking addiction

This was taken about four days into the cake's existence, so its optimum beauty is not captured here.

Used From Our CSA
rhubarb
strawberries 

Thoughts on the Recipe
I don't have much to say about this recipe, other than I over-baked ours a bit. I wish I had taken it out about 2 minutes before I did. That crumble topping went from perfect to too-brown in a very narrow slice of time. So keep an eye on it, and enjoy the strawberry rhubarb goodness!