Every year I make my daughter Bailey the same birthday cake.
Her birthday is in February, close to Valentine’s Day. Consequently when this
recipe appeared in the February 1990 issue of
BON APPETIT, I tried it. Not only
is this cake stunning it is really delicious.
I don’t recall the year this cake became her official
birthday cake. But according to
this picture, it was when she turned two.
She turns twenty-five this
year and I think it’s safe to say she has blown candles out on at least twenty
of these. These next two pics show
subsequent cakes.
That’s lots of heart cakes and I include this
year’s cake with the cover of BON APPETIT
I mention this for several reasons: One, to share with you a
great recipe and two, to let you know about the “beet cake”.
Yes, I said beet cake.
Just because a dessert looks good doesn't guarantee good taste. I
learned this lesson the hard way.
The recipe for the beet cake also came from BON
APPETIT. I followed it to a tee.
The concept sounded wrong from the start but I was intrigued. What the heck, beets might prove to be that special ingredient producing the worlds moistest cake.
This may be the only time I made food for company before
testing it first. Mistake #1.
Grating the beets gave new meaning to ”you are what you
eat.” Beet juice everywhere. Corian counter-tops stained for days, hands having the appearance of third degree
burns. Mistake #2.
Serving a sheet cake weighing approximately thirty pounds.
Mistake #3.
Upon serving the cakes the faces of my guests told the whole
story. No one spoke. No praises of a delicious cake. It was apparent; I needed
to taste the cake. I tasted it. Then I picked it up, folded it in half and
tossed the behemoth in the garbage.
I won’t pass on the recipe for the beet cake but perhaps
your curiosity will compel you to search it out. You’re on your own on that. Since then, I've seen other cake
recipes calling for beets, but being faint of heart, I've never tried again.
I’m sticking with the heart cake.
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