Red Velvet

We are back from our trip to Georgia. Geo helped our son redo his bathroom and I mostly cooked, helped Jenn bake a Red Velvet Cake and watched my grandson, James, who is quite precocious at 2! We decided to make the cake recipe that included pureed beets, apple cider vinegar and buttermilk. It also called for melted unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder. We did not add the 1 teaspoon of food coloring - you would not have seen it anyway with all that dark chocolate. We used the Waldorf-Astoria frosting - mascarpone, cream cheese and heavy cream with a little sugar. We were a little unsure of the oven temp and so, overcooked the cake a teeny bit. But who cares because it was so delicious!!! The frosting was extraordinary - good for other cakes!! We did not have a really good blender for pureeing so there were some little beet chunks - no, they did not taste like beets at all!I did not get any pix of it. When I make the second recipe, I'll be sure to do that. Here is the one we used-enjoy:

Traditional Red Velvet Cake Recipe ( made with beets)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c pureed cooked beets
2 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tsp. cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees .Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans.Melt chocolate in double boiler and set aside .Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.In a bowl beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk mixed with vinegar , beginning and ending with flour. Beat until incorporated. Add pureed beets and mix until well blended.
Divide the batter between the pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean and top of cake springs back when lightly pressed.Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes and invert onto racks to cool completely.
Frosting:
2 cups heavy cream
12 oz cream cheese, softened
12 oz mascarpone
1/2 t vanilla
1.5 cups powdered sugar
Pour cream into small bowl and whip to soft peaks. Refrigerate. Place cream cheese in a bowl and mix on low speed until soft and smooth. Add mascarpone and mix until combined. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix well. Fold in whipped cream by hand with spatula. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.