Why-Plant-Yellow Beets-In-Your-Garden Cake (Or you can let us do it for you)

Anybody can do a carrot cake or zucchini bread!  Be unique, blaze your own trails!  Try out this recipe that is available in the Penzey's Spice Spring 2011 catalog.  Don't worry if you didn't plant any yellow beets in your garden, we have plenty for you!

From Penzey's Spice Spring 2011 catalog

Ingredients 

• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground fennel
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 3/4 cups Unbleached Flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups peeled and grated yellow beets (about 4 medium beets)
• 1 TB orange zest (or 1 tsp minced orange peel rehydrated in 1 TB water)
• 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting (optional):

• 8 oz low fat cream cheese (Neufchậtel), room temperature
• 4 oz regular cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease or spray two 8-9 inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray, line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, stir together all of the dry ingredients.  In a separate mixing bowl, using a hand mixer on medium speed (stand mixers will overbeat this cake), beat together the eggs, egg white and sugars until creamy and somewhat thickened. Add the oil in a stream until completely incorporated.  Sprinkle half of the dry ingredients over the mixture and fold in gently.  Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients.  Finally, fold in the beets, orange zest and walnuts.

Divide the batter between the cake pans, smoothing the tops.  Bake at 350° for 20 minutes and then rotate the pans for even baking.  Bake for 10-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, with only dry crumbs sticking.  Smaller cake pans take a bit longer than larger ones.  Cool for 10 minutes in the pans and then remove the cakes by turning the pans out over a rack.  Remove the parchment paper.  Flip the cakes and continue to cool for at least 2 hours before frosting.

For the frosting: Beat together the cream cheeses and vanilla.  Gradually add the powered sugar and mix until creamy.  The longer you mix, the thinner the frosting, so decide ahead of time how thick you want your frosting.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Baking Time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 12-16

Nutritional Information: Servings 16; Serving Size 1 piece (114g); Calories 360; Calories from fat 140; Total fat 16g; Cholesterol 50 mg; Sodium 270 mg; Carbohydrates 51 g; Dietary Fiber 2 g.