Red Velvet Cake From ‘Sensationally Sugar Free’
This week, we’re spotlighting recipes from Sensationally Sugar Free: Delicious Sugar-Free Recipes for Healthier Eating Every Day by Susanna Booth (Hamlyn), the author of Gloriously Gluten Free. Try making the recipe at home and let us know what you think!
Photo: Haarala Hamilton
Red Velvet Cake
Serves 8–12
I love the dramatic color contrast of red velvet cake and this recipe gives a moist and moreish result, yet it’s packed with goodness, so different from store-bought versions! Of course, no red velvet cake would be worth its name without a wicked cream cheese frosting, so there is plenty of that, too.
For the cake:
8 ounces fresh beet
1¼ cups whole-wheat all-purpose flour
1¼ cups white all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sunflower oil, plus extra for oiling
¾ cup milk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
4 tablespoons freshly made strong coffee, cooled
2 eggs
4 tablespoons stevia powder
2 teaspoons unsweetened vanilla extract
2 teaspoons red food coloring (optional)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
For the frosting:
1²⁄³ cups whipping cream
2/3 cup cream cheese
3 teaspoons unsweetened vanilla extract
2 tablespoons stevia powder
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil two 8-inch sandwich pans with a little sunflower oil and line the bottoms with nonstick parchment paper.
Finely grate the beet into a large bowl and add both flours, the baking powder, and cocoa. Mix all the remaining cake ingredients together in a separate bowl. Pour the liquid mixture into the beet mixture and stir quickly until you have a sloppy pink batter. Divide it evenly between the cake pans.
Bake the cakes for 40 minutes until risen and browned, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cakes from their pans and let them cool upside down on a wire rack.
To make the frosting, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, then whisk in the cream cheese. Stir the vanilla extract and stevia powder together until the stevia has dissolved, then add to the cream cheese mixture. Whip briefly until everything is combined.
To assemble the cake, place the first cake layer on a serving plate and spread half the frosting across it. Add the second cake layer, followed by the remaining frosting. Use a fork to add a few decorative swirls to the frosting. Keep the finished cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Eat within a couple of days.
Reprinted with permission from Sensationally Sugar Free: Delicious Sugar-Free Recipes for Healthier Eating Every Day by Susanna Booth (Hamlyn).
More dessert recipes to make at home:
Green Tea and Mango Cheesecake
