One of my favorite ways to increase the nutritional value of baked goods is to add fruits and vegetables. Many of the sweeter vegetables (carrots, winter squashes, sweet potatoes, zucchini) work particularly well and are not unknown ingredients, but beets also deserve a little shelf space in the baking aisle.
The original beet still grows wild in the Mediterranean, although its cultivated cousin has become a part of cuisines around the world. Beets are often enjoyed for their natural high sugar content, but also serve as a beneficial blood tonic. With significant values of vitamin A, B and C as well as calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus, and available in many tantalizing colors from the common dark-purple-red, to golden yellow, sunny orange and even white, how can you resist?
The inspiration for this recipe comes from Zephyr Community Farm, in From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce published by the Madision Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition in 1996. I doubt this gem of a cookbook is readily available, but I just found it from independent sellers on Amazon (see link above). If you are interested in a collection of great vegetable recipes, this is one I can highly recommend. In this case, I took the original recipe and made several changes to “healthify” it. Here’s a chocolatey little cake – not too sweet, and with some fruit and vegetables thrown in for fun.
Method:
Combine dry ingredients. Sift or mix well together.
Melt chocolate very slowly over low heat or in a double boiler. Allow chocolate to cool then blend thoroughly with eggs, oil, vanilla and maple syrup.
Combine flour mixture with chocolate mixture, alternating with beets. Fold in cranberries and/or walnuts if using (increasing the cupcake’s healthy omega-3 fats, antioxidant and fiber content)
Pour into muffin greased pans or paper baking cups, and bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until fork can be removed from the center cleanly.
While the cupcakes are in the oven, mix together the cream cheese and raspberry preserves.
Allow the cupcakes to cool (the shredded beets will remain somewhat evident until they have completely cooled) and frost. Complete the treat with a fresh raspberry on top.
* Flax seeds are a good source of both healthy fats and fiber. However, we can not digest them when they are whole. You should grind them first. I recommend designating a coffee/spice grinder for this, and keeping your whole flax seeds fresh in the refrigerator, and grinding small portions daily, or as often as you need them.
%20work%20particularly%20well%20and%20are%20not%20unknown%20ingredients,%20but%20beets%20also%20deserve%20a%20little%20shelf%20space%20in%20the%20baking%20aisle.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20original%20beet%20still%20grows%20wild%20in%20the%20Mediterranean,%20although%20its%20cultivated%20cousin%20has%20become%20a%20part%20of%20cuisines%20around%20the%20world.%20%20Beets%20are%20often%20enjoyed%20for%20their%20natural%20high%20sugar%20content,%20but%20also%20serve%20as%20a%20beneficial%20blood%20tonic.%20%20With%20significant%20values%20of%20vitamin%20A,%20B%20and%20C%20as%20well%20as%20calcium,%20iron,%20magnesium%20and%20phosphorus,%20and%20available%20in%20many%20tantalizing%20colors%20from%20the%20common%20dark-purple-red,%20to%20golden%20yellow,%20sunny%20orange%20and%20even%20white,%20how%20can%20you%20resist?%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20inspiration%20for%20this%20recipe%20comes%20from%20Zephyr%20Community%20Farm,%20in%20From%20Asparagus%20to%20Zucchini:%20A%20Guide%20to%20Cooking%20Farm-Fresh%20Seasonal%20Produce%20published%20by%20the%20Madision%20Area%20Community%20Supported%20Agriculture%20Coalition%20in%201996.%20I%20doubt%20this%20gem%20of%20a%20cookbook%20is%20readily%20available,%20but%20I%20just%20found%20it%20from%20independent%20sellers%20on%20Amazon%20(see%20link%20above).%20If%20you%20are%20interested%20in%20a%20collection%20of%20great%20vegetable%20recipes,%20this%20is%20one%20I%20can%20highly%20recommend.%20In%20this%20case,%20I%20took%20the%20original%20recipe%20and%20made%20several%20changes%20to%20%E2%80%9Chealthify%E2%80%9D%20it.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20a%20chocolatey%20little%20cake%20%E2%80%93%20not%20too%20sweet,%20and%20with%20some%20fruit%20and%20vegetables%20thrown%20in%20for%20fun.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMethod:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ECombine%20dry%20ingredients.%20%20Sift%20or%20mix%20well%20together.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMelt%20chocolate%20very%20slowly%20over%20low%20heat%20or%20in%20a%20double%20boiler.%20%20Allow%20chocolate%20to%20cool%20then%20blend%20thoroughly%20with%20eggs,%20oil,%20vanilla%20and%20maple%20syrup.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ECombine%20flour%20mixture%20with%20chocolate%20mixture,%20alternating%20with%20beets.%20Fold%20in%20cranberries%20and/or%20walnuts%20if%20using%20(increasing%20the%20cupcake%E2%80%99s%20healthy%20omega-3%20fats,%20antioxidant%20and%20fiber%20content)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPour%20into%20muffin%20greased%20pans%20or%20paper%20baking%20cups,%20and%20bake%20at%20325%20degrees%20for%2020-30%20minutes,%20or%20until%20fork%20can%20be%20removed%20from%20the%20center%20cleanly.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhile%20the%20cupcakes%20are%20in%20the%20oven,%20mix%20together%20the%20cream%20cheese%20and%20raspberry%20preserves.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAllow%20the%20cupcakes%20to%20cool%20(the%20shredded%20beets%20will%20remain%20somewhat%20evident%20until%20they%20have%20completely%20cooled)%20and%20frost.%20%20Complete%20the%20treat%20with%20a%20fresh%20raspberry%20on%20top.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E*%20Flax%20seeds%20are%20a%20good%20source%20of%20both%20healthy%20fats%20and%20fiber.%20%20However,%20we%20can%20not%20digest%20them%20when%20they%20are%20whole.%20You%20should%20grind%20them%20first.%20%20I%20recommend%20designating%20a%20coffee/spice%20grinder%20for%20this,%20and%20keeping%20your%20whole%20flax%20seeds%20fresh%20in%20the%20refrigerator,%20and%20grinding%20small%20portions%20daily,%20or%20as%20often%20as%20you%20need%20them.%3C/p%3E){kind=small}
