Veggie Cake!

From Levi

I noticed two of my co-workers and I shared March as our birthday month. I came up with the idea of making a three layer cake, with a layer for each person. Since I work in the Farm & Garden group at MAP we are all about veggies. So, the cakes were vegetable themed. I researched different cake recipes by reading blogs and watching You Tube videos. I picked three cake recipes: chocolate beetroot, pumpkin and carrot.

We tested each recipe individually in preparation for the Growing Green farm work day and party a few weekends ago. With a few tweaks each recipe was a tasty success! The final cake was going to be a three layer sheet cake to celebrate March birthdays and the final day of the winter session at Growing Green.

Levi adding the finishing touches.

Before the farm work day I worked with Ben to assemble all three layers of cake. None of us had made such a big cake before. The cakes were held together with cream cheese frosting, and decorated with chocolate sprinkles. Orange piping helped hide the less-than-perfect edges.

Want to make delicious vegetable cakes? Try our recipes!

Pumpkin Flavored Cake

Ingredients:

1.5 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups canned pumpkin puree

4 eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.         Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2.         Grease and flour 12” x18” cake pan.

3.         Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. SET ASIDE!!!

4.         In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, and then blend in eggs one at a time.

5.         Gradually stir in flour mixture.

6.         Spread batter into cake pan.

7.         Bake for 30 -35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly.

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

Ingredients:

200 g caster sugar

250 g cooked beetroot, pureed

½ tsp vanilla extract

250 ml vegetable oil

3 eggs

225 g plain all purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

1.         Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2.         Grease and flour 20 x 30 cm cake pan.

3.         Combine beetroot, eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract. MIX WELL!!!

4.         Mix baking soda, cocoa, salt and flour in new bowl. Add beetroot mixture. Mix well.

5.         Pour cake mixture into pan. Bake for 25 -30 minutes.

6.         LET COOL!!

 

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar

½ packed light brown sugar

4 eggs

1 cups of canola or vegetable oil

3 cups peeled and shredded carrots

2 ½ cups of all purpose flour

1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

Directions:

1.         Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.         Grease and flour 12” x18” cake pan.

3.         Mix eggs and sugar until frothy. Drizzle in canola oil. Mix another 20 second.

4.         Add spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Add flour and mix in carefully.

5.         Fold in carrots.

6.         Spread cake batter into pan.

7.         Bake on middle rack for 35 – 40 minutes. Half way through baking process turn pan 180 degrees on oven rack.