My Aunt Pauline loved red velvet cake. She wasn’t as interested in alternative flours, beets or quinoa as she was in a smooth Coca-Cola Classic and a nice, long brown ciggy. She did write a few of her cherished recipes, including red velvet cake, inside the cover of a 1923 edition of The Boston Cooking School Cookbook. Here’s a 2021 modification of the 1923 classic: Velvety Red Brownies.
1 cup beets, roasted, peeled and puréed
1/2 cup of your favorite baking oil
3 eggs or flax equivalent
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or Kentucky bourbon
3/4 cup honey, coconut sugar, maple syrup or date syrup
1 cup + 3 tablespoons total alternative baking flours-like almond, quinoa, coconut or cassava
1/3 cup cocoa powder
pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup chocolate chips for a topping.
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare an 8 inch square baking pan by spraying with cooking spray. Blend all ingredients except for chocolate chips in a high speed blender or food processor until they become a batter.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Add chocolate chips while the cake is hot. Cool 30 minutes before slicing.
