It is the 4th of July and I wanted to make something to represent this holiday. I thought I would make some red velvet cake but the thought of using so much artificial red color was repulsive to me. I still wanted the red sponge so decided I would try to use some beetroot instead. Beetroots are tricky to cook with since they get oxidized when cooked and change into a brownish red instead of a bright red. I decided to make beetroot syrup to make up for this. Topped with my take on cream cheese frosting and served with fresh summer berries, this cake turned out to be moist and delicious! 

What you will need:

How to make it:

To make the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sieve the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and beetroot powder. Mix everything well and set aside. 
• Tip: Ensure that the eggs are all at room temperature. 
• Grease a cake pan with butter and dust it with some flour. 
• Cream together sugar and butter. Add oil and beat until most of the sugar dissolves. You can use any odorless oil for this cake. I used avocado oil. 
• Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until frothy. 
• Mix in the vanilla extract, vinegar, yogurt, and warm water as well. 
• Fold in the flour and mix everything well. 
• Pour the cake batter in the greased baking pan.
• Bake in the oven until the center is almost cooked. This will ensure that your cake does not dry out.  
• Once out of the oven, let it cool completely. 
• Cut it into layers. I cut mine into 4 layers. 

Make the sugar syrup:

• Add the water, beetroot powder, and sugar in a saucepan.
• Bring it to a boil.
• Let it come to room temperature. 

To make the frosting:

• Make whipping cream following the quantities about but the procedure in the link. Remove the whipping cream and keep it aside. 
• Whip the cream cheese which is at room temperature until creamy.
• Fold in the whipping cream gently.
• Fill it in a piping bag and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

To assemble the cake:

• Place the first layer of cake.
• Brush with some beetroot sugar syrup.
• Add a layer of the frosting. 
• Repeat the same procedure for all layers. 
• Top with frosting and berries. 
• Enjoy and Happy 4th of July!