Recipe from Sherri: BEETS

Beet spice cake

This recipe was adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe. If using the red beets we’ve been receiving lately, the cake comes out a lovely shade of deep red.

1 lb 2 oz raw beets
2 thumb sized pieces of fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 lg eggs, separated
5 ½ fluid oz honey
¾ c olive oil
1 ½ tsp vanilla
2 heaping tsp baking powder
2/3 c polenta (or sub corn meal)
zest and juice 1 orange
lg pinch salt
lg pinch ground allspice
lg pinch cinnamon
1 ¼ c flour

Boil beets until soft, then drain and let cool so you can handle them. Rub the skins off (use gloves – beets stain) then mash until very smooth (can use food processor for this).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch cake or springform pan.

Combine beet puree, ginger, egg yolks, honey, vanilla and olive oil – mix well. Add to mixture baking powder, polenta, orange zest and juice, salt, all spice, cinnamon, and flour. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the beet mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for approximately 35 – 45 minutes (or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean). Allow cake to cool, remove from pan.

Serve cake in wedges topped with whipped crème, yogurt, or crème fraiche whisked with marsala or sherry and sweetened with sugar.