Pink Polka Dot Drizzle Loaf

Friday 1 September 2017


This loaf I am showing you today is so moist and delicious!  You are going to be so surprised when you find out what I have used to make it.   You have heard of Carrot Cake, yes?  How about Zucchini Loaf?  Yes, I am sure you have and they are both very popular loaves. Using vegetables and fruits to make delicious quick breads is not a new idea.  This one I am showing you today is made using  . . . .

Grated Beetroot!  Yes, I kid you not.  Grated Beetroot and let me tell you honestly, you cannot taste beetroot at all in it.  It lends a lovely moistness to the loaf and little flecks of colour throughout, but I dare anyone to eat a slice of this and guess what is in it without me telling them first!


Beetroot is one of those vegetables, like carrots for instance, that are naturally sweet.  Most of the sugar consumed in the UK is actually produced from sugar beets.  Using them in a cake/loaf like this is actually not much of a stretch!

I used beetroot infused coloured water to make that pretty pink icing.  Very easy to do.  Just soak a bit of grated beetroot in a TBS or so of boiled water and let it steep and you end up with this lovely pink hue.


This moist loaf is well flavoured with warm baking spices . . . cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom . . .oh I do love the warm baking spices and what a great recipe to start the month of September off with!






It is also studded throughout with toasted walnuts.  Oh, I do so love walnuts in a loaf. You can leave them out if you want to, but I find they add a lovely texture, flavour and interest to the loaf.


Break out the teapot as you are goign to want to sit down right away and enjoy a slice of this loaf with a nice warm cuppa!  Ahhh  . . . its soooo good! 


*Pink Polka Dot Drizzle Loaf*
makes 1 (8 by 3-inch) loaf
 
Your guest will be surprised at the ingredients for this one!  Deliciously different! 

190g sugar (1 cup)
180ml vegetable oil (3/4 cup)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla exract
140g plain flour (1 cup)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground ginger, grated nutmeg, ground cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups peeled and grated beetroot (about 1 large beetroot)
a handful of toasted walnuts chopped (about 1/3 cup) 

For the glaze:
130g icing sugar (1 cup)
1 tsp beetroot water
1 TBS cream cheese, softened


 Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter an 8-inch loaf tin and line with baking paper, Set aside.


Remove 1 tsp of the grated beets and put into a small container with 2 tsp of boiling water.  Let stand to infuse for half an hour and then strain out the beetroot.  Set aside. 


Whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in a bowl. Sift together the flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom and salt.  Stir in the walnuts.  Add all at once to the egg mixture and stir just to combine.  Fold in the grated beetroot.  Scrape into the prepared loaf tin.  Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until well risen and the top springs back when lightly touched.  A toothpick inserted near the centre will also come out clean.


Let cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before tipping out onto a wire rack. Turn right-side up and cool completely.  


Whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth.  Drizzle over top of the cooled cake.  Let set.  Store in an airtight container.  Serve cut into slices.



If you have some beets that you are wanting to use up and you are tired of eating them as a vegetable, I can't think of a nicer way to use them!  I do hope that you will give it a try.  I am quite sure that when you do, you will love, LOVE it!  Bon Appetit and Happy September!

14 comments

  1. Beetroot--how wonderful! And what a beautiful glaze from the beetroot too--love that pink!! This cake looks sooo delicious, Marie! And I really like the new look of your site, and, best of all, to see your picture there in the sidebar! :))) ((LOVE & BIG HUGS))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, thanks Tracy! This cake is fabulous. I was a bit dubious because I thought it might turn out purple, but it didn't and the icing is so pretty. Its a lovely, moist and delicious cake! Love and hugs! xo

      Delete
  2. The pink icing is gorgeous. I first had a chocolate beetroot cake about 7 years ago. IT was a lovely moist cake. I might try out this recipe. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never had chocolate beetroot cake Suzan. It sounds interesting as well! Hope you like this version! xo

      Delete
  3. What a brilliant, creative idea! I'm going to try this on the weekend, as beetroot is plentiful just at the moment. I love the pink icing as well :)

    I've used beetroot before in a chocolate cake, where it replaced some of the fat, making a very moist, richly coloured cake. It's a wonderful recipe from the grand dame of Australian cooking, Beverley Sutherland Smith. But this recipe is something totally different and very tempting. I'll let you know how it goes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Marie. I am going to have to look up that chocolate cake recipe as you are the second one to mention it! Sounds tasty! I hope you will enjoy this version! xo

      Delete
    2. I'll email you the recipe tomorrow.

      Delete
  4. New blog design looks GREAT Marie..so IN and UP To Date..I bet the loaf is lush:);)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks very much Monique! I thought if I am going to have to repost all my photos, I might as well give everything a good freshening up! The loaf is very lush! xo

      Delete
  5. Definitely going to try this one while the farmers markets here have fresh beets. I like the natural coloring for the frosting - packaged food coloring is scary stuff for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean. Food colouring is scary stuff for me also! This is much nicer and you get such a pretty colour and knowing it is all natural is a big plus! I hope you enjoy the cake! xo

      Delete
  6. Tried it yesterday. Not only does it look as beautiful as in the photographs, it tastes just great, and everybody here loves it.
    Marie, may I ask how you grated the beetroot? I used an old-fashioned hand grater and had a kind of purée as a result, which made the dough a bit liquid, and the cake had to bake some extra 20 minutes at 180C to become solid.
    Anyway, the resulting cake is delicious. Or was, because it disappeared really quickly. Thank you for the recipe, and God bless you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So happy it was enjoyed! I used a food processor to grate my beets. If your beets are too liquid, you can squeeze out the excess! Wrap it in an old piece of cloth you don't care if it gets stained and squeeze away! God bless you also! Xo

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you so do not be shy!


BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT OR RATING, ASK YOURSELF:
Did you make the recipe as directed? Recipe results are not guaranteed when changes have been made.

Is this comment helpful to other readers? Rude or hateful comments will not be approved. Remember that this website is run by a real person.

Are you here to complain about ads? Please keep in mind that I develop these recipes and provide them to you for free. Advertising helps to defray my cost of doing so, and allows me to continue to post regular fresh content.

Thanks so much for your understanding! I appreciate you!