I’m sitting in front of the fire, enjoying our cozy home for the 5th day in a row. The introverted part of me loves the idea of snow days; it doesn’t snow often in Seattle and everything really shuts down when the weather turns icy; but the introverted part of me also knows that means my extremely chatty 6 year old will be home with me until school is back on. I think being forced to slow down is good for anyone, though. We’ve been playing games, having snowball fights, and playing with our sweet baby lambs.
Yes, lambs. I drove home from Salem, Oregon with 2 three-week-old lambs the day the snow started, then we had a break from it, then it started again. They were sick and small and destined for Easter dinners (insert crying emoji face here) and if I could’ve brought them all home I would have. I’ve been bottle feeding them raw goats milk and formula 3-4 times per day and they’re growing and so much healthier. They need a bath then I’ll get some photos to share with you, they currently have pepto-bismol smeared all over their faces like a drunk girl’s lipstick. Yes, pepto-bismol. And yes, as I write this I question my life choices. Not really, they are just the sweetest little creatures and I’m desperately in love. The first night we brought them home I sat in front of the fire with two clean, diapered little lambs in blankets on my lap and one of them put her sweet little head up on my shoulder and fell asleep. I cried. Literally, just bawled my eyes out the cuteness was so overwhelming. Oh, and their names are Tru and Pru.
I did take a break from baby-lamb-obsession-land to bake a Valentine’s Day cake for you, though! It’s naturally dyed with beets, and is almost like a deconstructed red velvet cake. Layers of dark chocolate cake and vanilla beetroot cake are sandwiched with light, whipped mascarpone cream. The buttercream was a bit more vibrant than I usually go for but I kind-of love the candy-pink color. I made a couple versions (okay, 5) before getting the beetroot cake right. I’d make a perfectly pink colored batter and bake it only to pull a delicious but very brown cake out of the oven. I finally came across Yossi Arefi’s recipe with so many good tips on maintaining the brilliant red color when baking, particularly the addition of cream of tartar to help preserve the color. I hope you enjoy the cake and the happiest Valentine’s Day to you and the ones you love (especially if the ones you love are small and wooly…or furry, that’s good, too).
Whoever and whatever you love, there is a place for you. There is room at the table for everyone.
In the words of the (late) beloved Mary Oliver,
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
– Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
- 1 cup (120 grams) gluten-free flour blend, such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 or King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup (60 grams) Dutch-process cocoa (this is my favorite)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup buttermilk, well-shaken
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ½ cup espresso or strong coffee
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter 2 x 6" cake pans, dust with cocoa powder, and tap out the excess.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, buttermilk, egg, coffee, and vanilla until blended.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing as you add, until well-combined and no clumps of dry ingredients are left in the bowl. Mix until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake the cakes for 20 minutes, then rotate in the oven and continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan and turn them out of the pans to cool completely on a rack.
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
- 1½ cups (180 grams) gluten-free flour blend, such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 or King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ cup grated beets, from fresh, peeled red beets
- ½ cup buttermilk, well-shaken
- 1 teaspoon vinegar, I used apple cider
- juice of ½ a large lemon (2 tablespoons)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- *optional, add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (NOT dutch process) to dry ingredients
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter 2 x 6" cake pans, dust with flour, and tap out the excess.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, cocoa (if using), salt, cream of tartar, and xanthan gum.
- Combine the beets, buttermilk, vinegar, and lemon juice and blend until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, egg, and vanilla until blended. Pour the beet mixture into the oil mixture and whisk until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing as you add, until well-combined and no clumps of dry ingredients are left in the bowl. Mix until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake the cakes for 20 minutes, then rotate in the oven and continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan and turn them out of the pans to cool completely on a rack.
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh beets
- 1 1⁄4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz mascarpone, softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- pinch of salt
- Combine the beets and whipping cream in a blender and mix until the whipping cream has just started to thicken. Pulse until the cream is thick and the beets are blended.*
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the mascarpone with the sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and salt until smooth.
- Using a spatula, fold in the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Ice the cake and decorate as desired. *you may have some beet speckles in your cream, if that bothers you just press it through a fine mesh sieve to strain. I didn't bother.
I clicked through from Instagram where your post was featured by Pyne and Smith— because your post said Kent, WA, my hometown. ❤️ I grew up in Kent and my family all still lives there although my husband and I live in rural Central WA now. Your blog is just lovely and that cake oh my goodness. So amazing.
Oh did you?! That’s so fun!! We are on the East side, closer to Covington. I love it out here 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words and for saying hello!
Hello,
Greetings from the Netherlands! I
bumped into your blog via an instagram photo of your gorgeous cake. I have been looking for
a recipe using beets so I am excited to try yours.
I am wondering about the purpose of the xanthan gum? Why is that necessary?
looking forward to your answer, cheers!
Hi! You can absolutely leave out the xanthan gum if you’d prefer, it simply gives the cake a texture closer to that of a cake made with wheat flour. I hope you love it and thank you for saying hello!!