3 medium – large beets
¾ cup butter, plus additional for greasing
¾ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
3 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
3 tablespoons or 1.5oz semi sweet chocolate
1 ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs separated
Crème fraiche frosting (8 oz + 1 cup confectioners sugar whipped)
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash beets and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake about 1 hour 15 minutes or until knife slides through beet with ease. Cool until beets can be handled, then peel.
Butter two 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment and then butter again. *NOTE – I used 6 mini spring form pans
In a food processor, roughly pulse beets. Measure out 1 cup and return cup of beets to the food processor. Purée with buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar and vanilla until silky smooth.
Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until soft. Slowly add sugar and beat until creamy. Beat in egg yokes one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Melt chocolate in a double boiler and set aside. Beat eggs whites until firm peaks hold.
Alternate adding flour mixture and beet mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and beating for 10 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the bowl after each addition of the wet ingredients. Incorporate the melted chocolate and gently fold in the egg whites.
Pour batter into prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove pans from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
To assemble, remove cake from its pan and peel away parchment. Place flat side down on a serving platter. Dollop about 1 cup of icing (or whipped cream) onto cake and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.
