Earlier in the spring I whined about having more beets that I knew what to do with. To use some of them up I made Red Velvet Chocolate Beet Cupcakes, which were a total hit with my co-workers for their moist texture and deep dark chocolate flavor.
Another batch of the beets got pureed and frozen because I was headed out of town and didn’t have time to use them. This week I dug these out of the freezer with the intention of making another batch of cupcakes. However, when I discovered I was out of baking chocolate I switched game plans and decided to make a Chocolate Beet Tea cake instead.
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This recipe was very easy but not as successful as I hoped. The biggest problem is that it is just too damn moist. The recipe says to be careful not to over bake and dry it out. Not a problem. I cooked the bread and extra 20 minutes and it still looked underdone which freaked me out a little given a previous food poisoning incident. I let it cool on a nice baking rack hoping it would firm up. However, when I sampled it and the texture just seemed a little off. It wasn’t a total failure but if I make it again a serious tweak will be required.
Why did mine go sideway? Well my beets were cooked and pureed vs. the recipe which were shredded and raw. This definitely could have made the moisture difference. How to correct? Add more flour until the batter looks looks a more appropriate thickness. Second tip. Line bread loaf pan with wax paper or parchment. Even greasing well and flouring the bread pan, this recipe still stuck to the pan. Lining the pan will ensure that if the batter is still a bit too moist that you’ll be able to get the bread out of the pan.