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To cook the beets:
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1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
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2. Wash and chop beets.
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3. Wrap beets with parchment paper or aluminum foil and place on a baking tray.
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4. Roast until soft, about an hour. Remove from oven.
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5. Allow them to cool then add lemon juice and puree in a blender.
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6. Measure 1 cup of the beet puree and set aside.
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For the beet cake/brownie layer:
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1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
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2. Line or oil/butter a standard size jelly roll tray.
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3. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder (if using) in a bowl. Set aside.
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4. Cream together oil and sugars in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer.
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5. Add eggs, one at a time.
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6. Add vanilla.
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7. Slowly add flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
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8. Fold 1 cup beet puree into the cake batter.
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9. Add half of the milk and mix to combine.
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10. Set aside 3/4 cup of the batter.
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11. Add the remaining half of the milk into the reserved 3/4 cup of batter. Set this aside again.
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12. Pour the remaining batter into the jelly roll pan and spread evenly.
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For the cheesecake layer:
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1. Beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy (see note 4 below).
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2. Add egg and vanilla and mix until there are no lumps.
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3. Add cream cheese layer on top of the beet cake layer and smooth evenly.
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To make the swirls:
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1. Drop spoonfuls of the reserved beet cake layer on top of cheesecake layer.
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2. Drag a knife tip through the cheesecake and beet cake layers to create swirls.
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3. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until done in the center. Remove from oven.
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4. Cool completely before using a heart shape cookie cutter to create individual pieces.
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Notes :
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1. Depending on the oven temperature, baking time may vary.
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2. To achieve the best color, make the beet puree as smooth as possible.
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3. I used brown sugar because I had some handy. Regular sugar should work as well.
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4. Using a food processor/hand mixer will make the cheesecake layer easier to make.
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5. Don't worry if the beet cake layer is thick.
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6. You may add more sugar to the cheesecake layer. I like to keep it with just a hint of sweetness.
