Beet, Ginger and Sour Cream Cake | Ottolenghi

A season for beets and the need to escape from the all-consuming Covid life are taking me to a sweet dessert. Never thought we’d have to combat such a challenging set of circumstances. But nine months into the pandemic, you need to be kind to yourself and those around you. Thank goodness, what a little indulgence can do to lifting our spirits. I’m all in for this special vegetable dessert: the beet, ginger and sour cream cake from Ottolenghi’s Sweet.

Beet seems to be the most unlikely ingredient for a dessert. Maybe for that reason, I don’t really like — but love having beets in a cake. My favorite so far has been beet chocolate bouchons which I adore. If escape is the goal, why not go all the way and swing our adventurous spirit to the least expected places. That does it for me. I can imagine I’ve gone the distance without leaving the perch of my house. Don’t mind my hands getting all the color from the red beets, nor grating a lot of ginger; it’s defies the ordinary set of rules. This is no ordinary time!

There is one trick which is a brilliant takeaway from this recipe. It’s the use of Vitamin C or ascorbic acid which helps preserve and set the color of the beets in a cake. This technique works equally well to preserve the freshness of fruit juices and delay oxidation that turns fruit brown. The same way a few drops of lemon juice would keep slices of apple looking fresh.

The recipe also calls for crystallized ginger (for the cake) and fresh ginger (for the frosting). In my view, either one would do. You can use finely chopped fresh ginger in the cake and grated ginger for the frosting. Chopped crystallized ginger can be steeped in boiling water and then drained to extract the gingery flavor. Keep in mind that the ginger flavor won’t be as intense as fresh ginger. By and large, it’s more a factor of how you like it.

The beet, ginger and sour cream cake turns head and makes you smile from the inside with streaks of magenta-colored beet and a bright ginger flavor. It tastes even better the day after. Be sure to bring it back to room temperature before eating.

Print Recipe

Beet, Ginger and Sour Cream Cake

Serves: 9-12

Ingredients

• FOR THE BEET AND GINGER CAKE:
• 1/2 cup (100g) finely chopped candied ginger
• 1 2/3 cups (200g) flour
• 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 2/3 cup (9 oz/260g) grated fresh, raw beets (peeled)
• finely grated zest of one orange
• 2/3 cup (75g) toasted walnuts, chopped
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
• 1/2 cup (125ml) sunflower or canola oil
• 3/4 teaspoon Fruit Fresh, or 1 (1500mg) vitamin C tablet, crushed to a fine powder (optional)
• FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
• 5 1/2 ounces (160g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (optional)
• 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
• 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, or the finely grated zest of one lemon

Instructions

1

Butter an 8-inch (20cm) square or round pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. In a small bowl, pour boiling water over the candied ginger and let it sit for 15 minutes. Drain the ginger and squeeze out as much of the excess water as possible.

2

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).

3

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the grated beets, orange zest, walnuts and candied ginger to the bowl, but do not stir in.

4

Whisk together the eggs, sour cream, oil, and Fruit Fresh or vitamin C is a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients in the large bowl and use a spatula to mix the ingredients together, stirring just until thoroughly combined

5

Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan, even the top, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

6

(Note: The original recipe in the book, which called for the cake to be baked in a round 8-inch/20cm pan, said to bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes. So it may take longer in another pan, but you should begin checking it at the 30 minutes, or so, mark.)

7

Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack, then remove the cake from the pan, peel off the parchment paper, and let cool completely.

8

To frost the cake, beat the cream cheese and grated ginger, if you like, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or by hand in a large bowl, using a wooden spoon or spatula), until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar until it's completely incorporated. Add the heavy cream and vanilla (or lemon zest) and beat for about 1 minute on high speed, until thickened. The frosting may seen rather soft, as mine was, but spread beautifully.

9

Spread the frosting over the top of the cake.

Notes

Adapted from Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh