If you are looking for an elegant dessert to serve for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or other event, make this decadent red velvet torte!
Can you guess where this beautiful red colored dessert gets it’s red color from?
Food coloring you ask?
Nope!
From what then?
Beets!
I know you are probably thinking I have lost my mind.
A cake made from BEETS?
And it tastes good?!
NO WAY!
But I’m not even kidding you when I say that my toddler REQUESTED this as her birthday cake for her third birthday!
And toddler’s can be picky eaters!
So if you are looking for a healthy torte recipe that looks gorgeous to serve for a holiday or other event, you really should try this red velvet torte!
This torte is pretty simple to make, full of hidden beet goodness, and chocolatey to boot!
Red velvet torte, here we come!
Why Use Beets Instead of Food Coloring?
I know some of you are still probably caught up on the fact that this dessert has beets in it.
Some people probably clicked the back button when they read that.
But let me explain WHY someone like yourself should be interested in using alternatives to food coloring!
Did you know that most red food coloring is made from bugs?
Yep you read that right – crushed bugs are lurking in your red food coloring.
Yum, right?!
Now I don’t know about you, but beets sounds a lot better to me than bugs in my food.
Seriously, google it.
That “Natural Red 4” might be more ummmm “natural” than most of us were expecting!
I had no idea until recently that crushed bugs is what makes up not only red food coloring, but also pink and purple too!
So before you give this recipe a pass since it contains beets, consider that this torte gets it’s beautiful red color from healthy beets instead of crushed bugs!
Is Red Velvet Torte Healthy?
This one is!
As mentioned several times above, this torte is made with beets which is a “superfood”!
You can read more about beets as a superfood in my superfood chili recipe.
But as a quick summary, beets are high in nutrients and support the body in detoxification and aid your digestive system!
This torte also contains no sugar and no grain!
Both sugar and grains are inflammatory foods and can cause havoc on the body.
So good things to avoid!
Now you might be wondering, what does a dessert made with no flour and no sugar taste like?
Especially one made with beets?
Some of you are seriously doubting me that this is going to taste good.
What Does Red Velvet Torte Taste Like?
The original torte recipe is still hand crafted today in Austria and is called the Sacher-Torte.
Even a small piece will satisfy your sweet tooth because of the richness of a torte, and this recipe is no different.
To describe the flavor of a torte in one word, the flavor is decadent!
This red velvet torte has bold, rich chocolate flavor.
Just because there’s no sugar and no flour doesn’t mean it doesn’t still have lots of chocolate!
A torte is perfect for anyone who loves dark chocolate since it is only lightly sweetened so that the torte has bold chocolate flavor.
And if you choose to top it with the chocolate ganache, the ganache just adds to the rich chocolate taste!
What’s the Difference between a Cake and a Torte?
At first I was calling this a cake, but it really doesn’t have that fluffy cake consistency.
Then I realized that this recipe is the perfect torte consistency.
I first made a chocolate torte years ago in my 4-H days and loved how dense it was.
Unlike a cake, torte’s are usually made without flour.
This leaves them pretty flat since they don’t rise at all.
Cake’s on the other hand use flour, baking powder, and baking soda to make it rise and create air bubbles in the batter.
This gives the cake a fluffy, airy texture.
You can see how very different the consistency is between a torte and a cake!
How to Serve Red Velvet Torte
Now, you can eat the torte as it is out of the pan, but my favorite part of a torte when I made it for 4-H was the chocolate ganache topping.
Dark. Rich. Mmmmmmmm… I love me some dark chocolate, so why not pour more on top!
And covering the torte in a chocolate sauce is actually part of the original recipe when it was created in 1832 in Austria!
The original Sacher-Torte is still hand crafted today in Austria and they suggest serving a torte with a dollop of whipped cream on the side.
For something a bit sweeter and creamier to balance the richness of the torte, serve your torte with a scoop of Vividly Vanilla Ice Cream on the side!
Can Red Velvet Torte be Frozen?
Yes!
If you want to make this recipe well in advance, the good news is that you can freeze the torte.
It works best to freeze the torte without the ganache.
Thaw the torte in the fridge 1-2 days ahead of when you want to serve it.
Make the ganache and pour it on the torte before serving.
Red Velvet Torte {keto, paleo}
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
Description
If you are looking for an elegant dessert to serve for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or other event, make this decadent red velvet torte!
Ingredients
Torte Ingredients:
- ½ cup butter or palm shortening
- 3 cups chopped red beets
- ½ cup Lakanto granular or erythritol
- 3/4 cup cacao powder
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon stevia
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
Optional Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons butter or palm shortening
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- Stevia or other sweetener to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the butter, beets, and the granular sweetener over medium heat for 30 minutes, or until the beets are soft. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a tart pan or a 9-inch cake pan by greasing it really well with butter, or cut unbleached parchment paper to fit to the edges.
- Pour the beet mixture into a blender pitcher along with the remaining ingredients. Blend until pureed and smooth.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes before removing the spring pan sides or flipping over the cake pan.
- After the torte has cooled completely, in a medium saucepan over low heat, melt together the ganache ingredients until smooth. Pour onto the middle of the torte. Use a spoon to swirl outward towards the edges until the chocolate covers the top and spills over the sides a little.
- Serve immediately and refrigerate any leftovers (chocolate ganache will be firm after refrigerating).
Notes
Storage: Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing: If you want to make this recipe well in advance, you can freeze the torte. It works best to freeze the torte without the ganache. Thaw the torte in the fridge 1-2 days ahead of when you want to serve it. Make the ganache and pour it on the torte right before serving.
Nutrition: The nutrition facts below are just for the torte and does not include the ganache. The ganache adds the following per serving (1/16): Calories: 48, Fat: 5.1, Carbs: 2.1, Fiber: 1.2, Sugar: 0.1, Protein: 0.9
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/16
- Calories: 100
- Sugar: 1.8
- Fat: 7.5
- Carbohydrates: 4.9
- Fiber: 2.2
- Protein: 3.3
Debbie
July 31, 2020 at 7:51 amI dare anyone to make this for their family, but don’t tell them there are beets in it. What a great way to get that beautiful red velvet color without all the red food dye! I will definitely be making this again.
Monster Cookie • Post Author •
August 1, 2020 at 6:31 amHi Debbie! I love the challenge! I recently made this for my father-in-law and didn’t tell him there were beets in it. And once he heard the red color came from beets, he was even more in love with the dish since the color wasn’t coming from crushed bugs. At first I thought he was joking, but then I googled it myself and turns out he is right! Just one more reason to love this dish!!