Spicy Chocolate Beet Cake With Chocolate Glaze

The beets give a nice tint to the batter and add alot of moisture to this cake. I got this recipe from "Best recipies from Timelife Books" This cake bakes up HUGE so don't worry if the top springs up alot. The top forms a crust and dosen't get ruined buy inverting to cool on a rack. I did have to pull off a couple of the edge pieces so I could get my knife around the pan to finally flip it. This is a REALLY filling cake so verry small pieces are reccomended. :)

• Ready In: 2 hrs 5 mins
• Serves: 24
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 4 (16 ounce) cans beets, drained
• 3 1⁄2 cups  sifted flour
• 4  teaspoons baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6  eggs
• 2 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 cup  firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1⁄2 cups  vegetable oil
• 5  ounces  unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons vanilla extract

• Chocolate Glaze

• 6  ounces  semisweet baking chocolate
• 1  tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1  tablespoon light corn syrup
• 3⁄4 cup heavy cream
•  salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F.
2. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan or angel food cake pan.
3. Puree' the beets, a small batch at a time, in food processor or blender.
4. Sift the flour together with the baking soda, 1/2 tsp of salt, the cloves and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. Set them aside.
5. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are pale yellow and frothy.
6. Gradually beat in both the sugars and the oil.
7. Using a rubber spatula, fold the beet puree' into the egg mixture.
8. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the beet mixture, making sure to combine them well.
9. Gently but thoroughly, fold the melted unsweetened chocolate and the 1 1/4 tsp of vanilla into the cake batter.
10. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
11. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and dry.
12. Invert the cake over a wire rack and let it cool completely in the pan-allow 2 hours.
13. Chocolate Glaze:
14. Melt the semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water.
15. Stir in the butter and corn syrup, then gradually mix in the cream.
16. Continue stirring over simmering water for about one minute or until the mixture is well blended.
17. Add a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp of vanilla and a dash of cinnamon; stir again.
18. Turn the cake right side up and loosen it from the pan by running a knife around the inner edges.
19. Invert the pan and tap it gently until the cake is released and falls free from the pan.
20. Set the thoroughly cooled cake back on the rack; slide wax paper or a baking sheet under the rack.
21. Pour the glaze over the cake, lift the rack and gently shake it to distribute the glaze evenly.
22. Chill the cake until the glaze is set-about 20 to 30 minutes.