With Valentine’s Day falling on a Sunday, you might want to prepare this luscious dessert to that you can enjoy after a light Meatless Monday meal with the most special people in your life. Preparing a special meal with friends, family or a significant can express love better than any box of chocolates. We recommend that you bake in cupcake tins as they will bake faster and be easier to frost (if you are using frosting-if you drizzle with the wine ganache only-can be dairy-free).
This “Garden” Velvet Cake is really just a red velvet cake without the red dye. The puréed beets together with the chocolate make for a really moist, dense, rich and chocolatey cake without the guilt. Decorate with some chocolate melted with red wine and a few rose petals and this dessert will top any bouquet!
You can prepare the batter, while your partner prepares the icing. While you’re waiting for this fabulous cake to cool and frost, have a glass of rich Merlot from Shinn Estate Vineyards for the perfect Valentine’s Day!
Ingredients
¾ cup coconut oil
½ cup organic maple syrup
¾ cup raw cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 medium raw beetroot, peeled and finely chopped in food processor
2 cups Almond Meal
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
3 teaspoons Gluten free baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt
Petals of one rose for decorating
Preheat oven to 375 and prepare your cupcake tines with decorative muffin liners.
Peel and quarter the beetroot and pulse in a processor until its finely chopped (it will resemble a sloppy beetroot dip). Then add coconut oil, maple syrup, cacao & beetroot into a saucepan on really low heat and stir for a couple of minutes until all combined and it resembles a smooth chocolate sauce.
Mix together the almond meal, coconut palm sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl until combined. Then add the beaten eggs and chocolate/beetroot mix to the bowl and stir until completely combined. Pour the mix into the lined cake tin and pop in in the oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Leave to cool before removing from tins.
Once cooled, pipe or spoon on light cream cheese frosting
Chocolate and Merlot Ganache drizzle
8 oz. Mast Brothers Brooklyn chocolate bar(73% cacao), finely chopped
¼ cup more coconut oil, spooned into small pieces
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup of North Fork red wine, we are using the Merlot from Macari Vineyards
Heat chocolate, coconut oil, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water), stirring, until chocolate and oil are melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk in powdered sugar.
Meanwhile, bring wine just to a boil in a small saucepan.
Remove chocolate mixture from heat and whisk in wine; let cool until slightly thickened and a rubber spatula leaves a trail in mixture when stirring, 8–10 minutes. Use to drizzle or paint on the serving plate (as shown in photo) or as dairy-free icing for the cake or cupcakes.
Set cake on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour glaze over cake and spread it across the top and over the edges with an offset spatula. Let cake stand at room temperature until glaze is set, 2–3 hours.
