Chocolate Beet Cake with Pink Frosting (Gluten-Free)

This gluten-free chocolate beet cake is rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey, with beet purée giving the cake a tender texture and beautiful color. The pink cream cheese frosting adds a fresh contrast and turns a simple chocolate cake into something special.

Jump to Recipe

---

Gluten-free celebration cake

This gluten-free chocolate beet cake is rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey, with a soft, tender crumb and a subtle natural color. The beet flavor stays in the background, while cocoa and optional chocolate chips keep every bite firmly in chocolate-cake territory. It’s an easy way to make a chocolate cake that feels a little different without complicated decorating.

The cake is topped with a pink cream cheese frosting colored with a little beet juice or red food coloring. It’s a fun choice for birthdays, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or any gathering. If you’re looking for another gluten-free chocolate cake, try this Chocolate Buckwheat Cake, or check out the similar chocolate beetroot loaf cake on the blog, which uses grated beetroot instead of purée.

What goes in: ingredient notes

Some NOTES about the main ingredients of this recipe:

• Beets: They add natural sweetness, moisture, and a beautiful color. The flavor is not strong when the cake is baked.
• Cocoa powder: unsweetened cocoa powder, which, together with the chocolate chips, gives the cake a deep chocolate flavor.
• Eggs: room-temperature eggs are better.
• Oil: natural oil, like sunflower oil.
• Buttermilk: or milk with drops of lemon juice.

How to make this moist chocolate beet cake

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch Springform Cake Pan (22cm). Set aside.

Boil or steam the unpeeled beets until tender. Peel them while they are still warm, then process until completely smooth. Measure 200g of beet purée for the cake and reserve a little beet juice if you are using it to color the frosting.

Whisk gluten-free all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the oil and sugar together. Add the beet purée and mix until combined.. Add beetroot puree and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then mix in the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients along with the buttermilk and mix until the batter is well incorporated. Stop mixing as soon as everything comes together.

If using chocolate chips or chunks, fold them in with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake turns out clean with no batter streaks. Let cool before removing it from the pan.

When the cake is completely cold, spread the pink cream cheese frosting.

Store the cake covered in the refrigerator or freeze it in an air-tight container.

For the Pink cream cheese frosting:

Beat the softened cream cheese, softened butter, sifted powdered sugar, and a few drops of beet juice or red food coloring until smooth and creamy with an electric mixer. A small amount can create a soft pink shade, while a little more will give you a deeper color.

Refrigerate the frosting for at least 20 minutes before spreading it over the completely cooled cake.

Good to know: baking tips

• Beets: Blend the cooked beets until completely smooth to create an even, consistent cake texture. Avoid leaving any large pieces of beet in the mixture.
• Don’t overmix: Don’t overmix the batter. Once the dry ingredients and buttermilk are incorporated, stop mixing. This helps keep the crumb tender.
• Let the cake cool completely before frosting. The cream cheese frosting is much easier to spread over a fully cooled cake.
• Add the frosting color gradually. Whether you use beet juice or food coloring, start with a few drops and add more until you reach the shade you want.
• The chocolate chips are optional, but highly recommended. The chocolate chips are optional. The cake is rich and chocolatey without them, but adding chocolate chips or chunks gives you little pockets of melted chocolate throughout.

You might wonder: FAQ

Can you taste the beets in chocolate beet cake? The beet flavor is subtle in this cake. The beet purée contributes to the cake’s moisture, texture, and color.

Can I make this chocolate beet cake ahead? Yes. The cake can be prepared ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator. Frost the cake and keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.

Can I make the cake without the chocolate chips? Yes. The chocolate chips or chunks are optional in the recipe. The cake will still have a rich chocolate flavor without them.

Do I need to frost this chocolate beet cake? No, the pink cream cheese frosting is optional. The cake is rich and chocolatey on its own, so you can serve it unfrosted or choose a different topping. A simple dusting of powdered sugar, chocolate ganache, or a chocolate glaze would all work well.

For more gluten-fre cake ideas

• Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Tangerine Almond Bundt Cake
• Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Blackberry Lemon Cake

---