Root Cake Recipes

BEET CAKE

Steps:

• In a microwave, melt chocolate and 1/4 cup butter; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, cream the remaining butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs., In a small bowl, combine the chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla. , Beat into creamed mixture (mixture will appear separated). Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. , Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 375° for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.

ROOT BEER FLOAT CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1-1/4 cups root beer, oil and eggs. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes or stir by hand for 3 minutes. , Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack., In a small bowl, combine the whipped topping mix and remaining root beer. Beat until soft peaks form. Frost cake. Store in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE BEET CAKE

Steps:

• Cover beets with 2 inches water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until very tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp paring knife, about 30 minutes. Drain. Puree beets in a food processor until smooth.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, water, oil, vanilla, and 1 1/4 cups beet puree (reserve remaining puree for another use).
• Coat a 9-inch round cake pan (3 inches deep) with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment, and coat with spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Turn out cake from pan, and discard parchment. Let cool completely, right side up.
• Trim top of cake using a serrated knife to create a level surface. Transfer cake, cut side down, to a platter. Pour chocolate glaze over the top, and let set, about 30 minutes. Garnish with beet chips.

ROOT BEER CAKE I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour one 8x12 inch baking pan.
• In medium bowl, cream the butter or margarine with the sugar until light. Beat in the eggs and root beer extract.
• Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Beat in the root beer and mix until just combined.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake at 375 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool then frost with frosting.
• TO MAKE FROSTING: In a medium bowl beat the 1/2 cup butter or margarine, confectioner's, 1 teaspoon root beer extract and pinch salt. Beat in 1 to 3 tablespoons root beer soda to reach desired consistency. Spread onto cooled cake.

ROOT BEER FLOAT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom of a 10-inch bundt pan with butter or oil and lightly coat with flour.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake mix, 12 ounces of root beer, oil, and eggs until the mixture is smooth and well-combined.
• Pour the batter into the greased bundt pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake - if it comes out clean, it's done baking.
• Flip the pan onto a wire rack and let the cake cool completely while in the pan.
• Using a knife or skewer, poke holes into the cake, with a 2-inch space in between.
• Remove the cake from the pan. Loosen the sides with a knife or flat spatula if needed.
• Drizzle 3 tablespoons of root beer over the poked cake.
• If making a root beer glaze, stir together powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of root beer until smooth. Spread glaze over the cake.
• Slice, serve, and enjoy!

ROOT BEER CAKE II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg whites, eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture alternately with the applesauce and 1 1/4 cup root beer Beat well, then spread batter into a 9x13 inch pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
• To make the frosting: In a large bowl, combine the instant dessert topping with 1 cup chilled root beer. whip until fluffy then spread on cooled cake.

ROOT CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease (with some vegetable oil) and flour a 9-by-13-inch cake pan.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the parsnips and milk to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and let stand until cool.
• Drain the cooled parsnips, discard the milk and transfer them to a blender. Add 2 of the eggs and blend until very smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the carrots, granulated sugar, salt, star anise, ginger, almond extract, white pepper, 3/4 cup vegetable oil and the remaining 2 eggs to the blender and blend on high speed until very smooth. Pour the carrot mixture into the pureed parsnips and stir well until combined.
• Sift together the 2 cups flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and, using a large rubber spatula, fold together until well incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely on a cooling rack before removing the cake from the pan.
• For the icing: Cream the cream cheese and butter together well. Add the confectioners' sugar and salt and mix well, making sure there are very few lumps. Combine the carrot juice with the vanilla, bitter almond and anise extracts and mix in a little at a time. Stir in the grated carrot last. Put back in the fridge to firm up. Frost the cake with the icing.

TARO ROOT CAKE (WOO TUL GOW)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak the scallops in 1/3 cup cold water for about 2 hours, or until softened. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Remove and discard the small hard knob from the side of the scallops. Finely shred the scallops.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, soak the mushrooms in 1/2 cup cold water 30 minutes, or until softened. Drain and squeeze dry, reserving the soaking liquid. Cut off and discard stems and mince the caps. In a small bowl, soak the dried shrimp in 1/3 cup cold water for 30 minutes, or until softened. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Finely chop shrimp and set aside.
• Cut the bacon into 3 equal pieces and place in a 9-inch shallow heatproof dish. Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer large enough to fit the dish without touching the sides of the steamer. Carefully place the dish in the steamer, cover, reduce heat to medium, and steam 15 to 20 minutes, or just until bacon is softened and there are juices in the dish. Check the water level from time to time and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Carefully remove the dish from the steamer and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, wearing rubber gloves, peel taro root and cut into 1/2-inch cubes to make about 7 cups. In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the taro root, 1 teaspoon salt, and about 1 1/2 quarts cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until taro has turned a pale lavender color and is just tender when pierced with a knife.
• Remove the bacon from its dish and reserve the juices in the dish. Cut off and discard the rind and thick layer of fat underneath. Cut the remaining meat into paper-thin slices and then finely chop. In a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet, stir-fry the chopped bacon over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until meat releases fat and just begins to brown. Add the minced mushrooms and shrimp, and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in pan juices from the bacon and remove from heat.
• Drain the taro in a colander, reserving the cooking liquid. Return the taro to the saucepan, add the bacon and mushroom mixture, and stir to combine. In a large bowl, combine the rice flour and the reserved mushroom, scallop, and shrimp soaking liquids, stirring until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved hot taro broth. Pour this batter over the taro mixture in the saucepan. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir until combined. Consistency will resemble that of thick rice pudding. Pour the mixture into a heatproof 8-inch round, 3- to 4-inch-deep, straight-sided bowl, such as a soufflé dish.
• Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer large enough to fit the dish without touching the sides of the steamer. Carefully place the dish into the steamer, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and steam 1 hour, or just until cake is set and is firm to the touch. Check the water level and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Carefully remove the bowl from the steamer and cool on a rack about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 to 4 hours.
• Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen sides. Place a cake rack over the bowl and invert to unmold. Flip the cake right-side up onto a cutting board. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
• When ready to eat, cut the cake into quarters. Cut each quarter crosswise, not into wedges, but into two 2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip crosswise into scant 1/2-inch-thick slices. This is the typical way of slicing a cake Chinese style.
• Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet, over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add just enough vegetable oil to barely coat the wok. Add the taro cake slices in batches and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Serve immediately with oyster sauce.