Chocolate Olive Oil Snacking Cake w/ Citrus & Beets (Gluten Free) (Dairy Free)

Cross my heart, you'll never taste the beets in this Chocolate Olive Oil Cake. But what a delicious way to eat your veggies!

The cake is dense and moist with just the right amount of chocolate and citrus to dominate the taste. It's perfect without the glaze, however, its color will make the cake a stunning addition to any table.

My Paleo Marin Rating: 3 Persimmons

How to Make the Chocolate Olive Oil Cake & Citrus Beet Glaze:

Ingredients for the Cake:

Zest of 1 small orange (minus 1/2 teaspoon for glaze)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream (use Kite Hill for non-dairy)

1/2 cup neutral oil, like safflower oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 cup all-purpose gluten free flour, preferably Cup4Cup Gluten Free Multipurpose Flour (Note: (for dairy-free flour, use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups grated peeled red beets, loosely packed

Ingredients for the Glaze:

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon orange zest (from zest for cake)

1 tablespoon grated red beets, finely chopped

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (from orange used for zest in cake)

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Directions for Making the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degres F. Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan. Add a layer of parchment paper the length of the pan and cut to hang over the long sides for easy removal of the cake.

1. Into a large bowl add the orange zest, sugar and eggs. Whisk until frothy, about 1-2 minutes.

2. Add the sour cream, oil, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk until all ingredients are well combined.

3. Add the cocoa powder and whisk (gently at first) until smooth.

4. Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk until combined.

5. Using a rubber spatula, glently fold in the beets and mix thoroughly.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top with an offset spatula. Tap the pan a few times on the counter to release any air bubbles.

7. Bake in the heated oven for 20 minutes and rotate the pan 180 degrees. Bake for another 15 - 20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. 

8. Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Lift the cake out of the pan and remove the parchment paper to allow the cake to cool completely on the wire rack.

Directions for Making the Glaze:

1. In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar, orange zest, grated chopped beets, orange juice, lemon juice and pince of salt. Whisk until the mixture is about as thick as corn syrup. Add more orange juice if it's too thick; add more powdered sugar if it's too thin. Put in the fridge for about 15 minutes to set the glaze.

2. Place the cake on a serving plate large enough catch the glaze that may run onto the plate. Scoop the glaze over the cooled cake with an offset spatula. Spread it out evenly over the top of the cake. Put in fridge for about 10-15 minutes to set the glaze. 

3. Serve, or store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. The glaze will fade into the cake over time.

See Instagram link here for Reel on making the cake.

For Another Delicious Snacking Cake Recipe, see Link Below:

Banana Snacking Cake w/
Coconut Cream Caramel Icing 
& Maldon Salt Flakes (GF) (DF)

#paleo #chocolate #chocolatecake #beets #oliveoilcake #citrus #snackingcake #snacks

Recipe adapted from Snacking Cakes available here. Lots more snacking cake recipes inside.

*My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.