Sinful Chocolate Layer Cake

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• unsweetened cocoa, for dusting
• 1 (8 ounce) can cooked whole beets, drained and juice reserved
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• chocolate curls, to decorate
• 2 cups whipping cream or 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/4 lbs fine quality bittersweet chocolate or 1 1/4 lbs semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 grease two 9-inch round cake pans and dust bottom and sides with cocoa. grate beets and add to the beet juice. with an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until pale and fluffy (3-5 minutes). reduce speed and beat in chocolate.
• 3 in a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. with the mixer on low speed, alternately beat in flour mixture in fourths and buttermilk in thirds. add the beets, and juice, and beat for 1 minute. divide between pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center, comes out clean. cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely.
• 4 heat the cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, until it just begins to boil.
• 5 remove from the heat and stir in chocolate, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. stir in vanilla. strain into a bowl and refrigerate, stirring every 10 minutes, assemble cake.place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread with one third of ganache. turn the cake layer bottom side up and spread remaining ganache over top and sides. top with lots of chocolate curls, covering top. let frosting set for 20-30 minutes, the refrigerate before serving.