Panda Cake as Inspiration

 The National Zoo's 4 year-old panda, Tai Shan, whose babyhood antics I followed delightedly via the pandacam, celebrated his birthday today with a cake made of  "water, bamboo, shredded beets and beet juice," according to today's Washington Post.

That sounds refreshingly veggie-appropriate so I am pondering adding shredded beet to some kind of cake. Red devil? Or maybe a striped effect, in an angel food cake topped with strawberries.

And soon, shredded zucchini?

These "healthy" additives do not take away from the decadent cake-taste pleasure we all love, but somehow, the carrots of carrot-cake fame, do, do they not? ( I may be alone on this.)

I draw the line at garlic, onion or carrot in my cakes. Just sayin'.

(Tai Shan's 1st birthday cake--person-type--found here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/19764857@N00/192819747)

Comments

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I prefer the chocolate cake because you can eat it with coffee or milk and the flavor is better than the other one. the ingredients are simple so the preparation is really fast.

[catering]

Oh! how so cute that cake good that you shared this i like it.

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[Foodie]

Belated tks, Sonya, for the pureed, not shredded beet cake recipe! (Almost wrote beefcake...)

[Sonya]

Lydia thoroughly enjoyed her first taste of pureed beets this morning. Her face was covered in a mess of magenta! Below is my favorite chocolate cake recipe.

Chocolate Beet Cake
From Farmer John’s Cookbook

Oil and flour for preparing the pan
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup mild-flavored vegetable oil, divided
3 eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 cups pureed cooked beets (about 3 medium beets)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a 10-cup Bundt or two 9-inch cake pans with oil and dust with flour.
Partially fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer.
Put the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the oil in the top of the double boiler. Heat just until the chocolate melts; remove from heat and stir until well combined.
Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining 3/4 cup oil, chocolate mixture, beets, and vanilla.
Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the baking soda and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture just until flour is mixed in. Pour batter into the prepared pan(s)..
Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
Carefully remove the cake from the pan and let cool on the rack. When completely cool, dust with powdered sugar.

[hog roast]

Sounds a very healthy mixture!

I would also draw the line at garlic in my cake alng with curry powder, chillis and anything spicy.