Beetroot Chocolate Cake with Rose scented Apricot Glaze

I enjoy watching people cook, there is something more intriguing about actually seeing someone cook either in person or on television, than actually reading a cookbook. The only kind of books I have or read are novels (plenty of them.)
I do not own a cookbook, and I have an attention span of probably five minutes when I scan through one. I probably stop to ogle at those luscious pictures (especially desserts)
You can imagine what goes through my mind when some well intentioned friend tells me that I should write a cookbook! The irony of it. A person who does not own a cookbook, actually writing one!

This recipe is not from a cookbook, neither is it from a cooking show. This dish was born on a lazy Saturday afternoon. No fancy story to it, we were craving for some dessert after a nice lunch, decided to make something, anything with beets in it. Threw a bunch of stuff that I thought would meld together nicely and lo and behold my beetroot chocolate cake was born.

It has some sugar and butter use in relatively minimal quantities, but there is also whole wheat, beetroot, applesauce, and oats to make it into something that you can enjoy and yet not feel super guilty about it.
The glaze just rounded up everything beautifully. The Oat crust is completely optional. You could make the cake without it as well.
Verdict: It tasted just perfect. There is nothing I would ever change considering the whole cake lasted only that weekend. It was gone, far away to our very happy tummies.



Oats crusted Beetroot Chocolate Cake with Rose scented Apricot Glaze

Ingredients:

For the Oat crust:

Old fashioned oats - 1 cup
Light brown sugar - 4 tbsp
Milk powder - 1/2 cup
Melted butter - 3 tbsp

For the Beetroot Chocolate cake:

Whole wheat pastry flour - 3/4 cup
Finely grated raw beetroot - 3/4 cup
Original applesauce - 4 oz.
Room temperature butter - 5 tbsp
Light brown sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1/2 tbsp
Large eggs - 3
Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

For the Glaze:

Apricot preserves - 4 tbsp
Rose essence - 3 drops

Method:

Combine all the ingredients for the oat crust and press it down onto a single even layer on a 8" greased springform cake pan.

Sift together flour, cocoa, and baking powder and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar using a hand mixer.

Add the eggs and continue mixing for another 3-4 minutes until the eggs turn pale yellow in color.

Then add the applesauce, vanilla and beetroot and continue mixing. It will get a little messy, so do remember to keep the mixer on low speed.

Then add the sifted ingredients slowly into the wet batter.

Pour the batter into the cake pan already layered with the oats.

Bake at 375F till a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Probably after 25 min.



Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the glaze.

For the glaze, mix the apricot glaze and the rose essence and spoon just before serving.

Almond and Yogurt Flatbread cookies

Last few weeks have been pretty eventful. I hardly have had time to think about cooking or blogging, I wouldn't complain or trade these days for anything else. It is all good!
So, today we have a flatbread cookie made with some yogurt, whole wheat and my favorite thing to include in cookies - Almonds. My love for the taste and texture of cookies with almonds has exponentially grown ever since I made Eggless Almond and Oats Cookie. It was/is a huge huge hit, and I now continue to make it for my friends and family. I haven't gotten a negative feedback till date. One cookie that I will never stop making!

This flatbread cookie is nothing like I have ever made so far. I saw a recipe in a book which I remembered and tried to make something similar. It does not have a very strong sweet or savory taste to it, which makes it ideal for pairing with a sweet fruit preserve or maybe head along the path of some salty garlicky butter.
Considering the addict I am for anything sweet, I spread some raspberry preserves and devoured them without a second thought. Even if you are not someone who bakes cookies at home, with a few simple ingredients this is one recipe where you can't really go wrong.
One wouldn't think Almonds and yogurt are something you put into a cookie dough together. It may sound odd but it would convert you the very minute you take a bite!



Almond and Yogurt Flatbread cookies

Ingredients:

Almond Meal - 1/3 cup
Plain Yogurt - 1/3 cup (I used low fat)
Whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup
Whole wheat pastry flour - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Unsalted butter - 2 tbsp

Method:

Mix room temperature butter and yogurt well.

Sift flour, salt and baking soda and add to the yogurt mixture. Add almond meal and knead for about 10-15 min.
Let it rest for 5 minutes. Then, roll it out into a thin sheet using a rolling pin, say about 1/4" thickness.
Cut into squares and lay it on a greased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 400F for about 7-8 min or until lightly golden.

It will firm up a little on cooling. Serve with your choice of butter or jam.
Never tried peanut butter on it... hmmm.