Red Velvet Birthday Brownies

red velvet brownies-3

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;”] C[/dropcap]an you believe it’s September already?

I know!

I really love this time of year. Spring is just beginning to make an appearance both in the weather and the produce available at the farmers market. The days are getting longer.

And it’s my birthday(!)

This year, I’m continuing my birthday traditions of sharing a new cake recipe with you.

So let’s dig in!

The Birthday Cake!

In case you’re new to my Stonesoup birthday tradition, previous celebrational treats have included a lemon delicious cake, a croissant surprise cake and last year’s birthday ice cream sandwich.

I actually started developing this year’s recipe over 12 months ago because I take my Birthday cake very seriously. I wanted to make a sweet treat using one of my favourite vegetables, beetroot.

Most baking recipes that use beets just call for grated beets, similar to carrot cakes. But I’ve always found the results disappointing. As much as I adore the earthy flavour of beets, it’s too much for me when used raw in a cake.

So the solution?

Easy, just used cooked beets.

And combining them with dark chocolate in a rich squidgy brownie doesn’t hurt. At all.

_______

red velvet brownies-3

Red Velvet Birthday Brownies

The first time I came across a red velvet cake recipe, I remember being so disappointed that the ‘red’ came from food colouring. My first thought was why not use something natural like beets?

enough for 6-8
150g (5oz) unsalted butter
150g (5oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
150g (5oz) cooked beets
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, optional
150g (5oz) brown sugar
150g (5oz) almond or hazelnut meal

1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line a loaf pan with baking paper.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add chocolate. Stand.

3. Meanwhile, whizz beets in a food processor until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, sugar and nut meal and whizz again until mixed.

4. Add melted butter and chocolate and again whizz until combined.

5. Spread mixture over the base of your pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm on the top but still squidgy in the middle.

6. Cool in the tin and serve sliced with vanilla ice cream or double cream.

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VARIATIONS
no food processor – just chop the beets finely by hand and mix everything with a spoon.

even redder velvet – replace dark chocolate with white chocolate.

home cooked beets – just trim and scrub beets then bake whole (180C / 350F) until soft when pierced with a knife, about an hour but may be longer for large beets. Cool and peel before using.

budget / nut-free – replace nut meal with plain (all purpose) flour. Be super careful not to over bake as flour based brownies can be very dry.

dairy-free – replace butter with coconut oil.

egg-free – I haven’t tried this but replacing the egg with 1 large mashed ripe banana should work fine here.

vegan – combine the dairy and egg free options.

More Birthday Cake Love!

With love,
Jules x

20 Comments

  • A very happy birthday to you, Jules! Your red velvet brownies sound wonderful. I’ve had red velvet cake once or twice and was not impressed with the flavor, but I think this recipe would fix that problem for me. I like the way you celebrate… :-)

  • Happy birthday Jules!
    I can’t wait to try this recipe, I’ve always loved beetroot and chocolate cake, I never thought to try brownies!

  • Hope you had a great birthday.

    I baked these brownies last night and enjoyed a couple with some double cream (lovely). My wife took a batch in to a charity cake sale this morning and they were the first to sell out.

    I’ll definitely make them again. Really easy, delicious and good for charity – unbeatable!

  • Happy Birthday!

    Please tell me what size loaf pan you use for the Red Velvet Birthday Brownies. I am looking forward to trying it and am tickled it contains beets–never heard of the combination.

  • Whenever you post a dessert recipe, I get baking! All your dessert recipes are very popular in this household and this one is going to be on endless rotation too: super-delicious!! Beautifully moist and chocolatey and the beetroot works so well. Incredibly easy to make, apart from baking the beetroot, but I made extra to use in salads. Thank you!!

  • Just baked the brownies this evening. DIVINE. Mine ended up quite moist but are super rich and tasty. The beetroot adds a quirkiness to the flavour. We had guests and they were well received, served warmed with Barambah’s super thick Pure Cream. I think next time I will use a square pan rather than a loaf, so it can spread out a bit thinner.
    At the vege shop I managed to find some cooked beetroot in a packet (not canned in vinegar) so that cut down on a step, conveniently.

  • I can’t tell you how much my husband and I loved these brownies! I just love the thought of the nutrition that the beets add. They truly make the brownies like velvet. And neither my husband or I even like beets! Thank you!

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