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1
Preheat oven to 375. Trim ends of beets and place on a parchment paper or foil lined baking pan. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. canola oil. Roast until fork tender (about 2 hours). Once cooled peel then place in blender or food processor with 1-2 tbsp. water. Puree beets until they reach a smooth and even consistency. Set aside.
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2
Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking pan with canola oil spray and dust with flour. Discard the excess flour.
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3
Combine oil, eggs, egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed with a paddle attachment until smooth and light colored.
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4
Add the tsp. of espresso powder to the melted chocolate and stir until combined.
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5
Turning the speed down to low, slowly drizzle the melted chocolate into the mixture. Once the chocolate has been added, turn off the machine and scrape the sides of the bowl.
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6
In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa powder, applesauce and beet puree. Add this mixture to the egg mixture. Place the machine on medium speed to incorporate, scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the cherries and mix again. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
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7
Sift the remaining dry ingredients together and then gently fold into the mixture. Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and remove from pan.
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8
Chocolate Raspberry Ganache:
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9
Boil cream in a small pot. At the same time, warm raspberry puree in microwave (not hot-just warm).
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10
Once cream has boiled, add raspberry puree and stir to combine.
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11
Pour over chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is homogenous. If the chocolate does not melt all the way, place over a double boiler and finish melting.
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12
Set ganache aside and allow to cool so it becomes slightly thick.
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13
Cream Cheese Frosting:
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14
Lightly beat cream cheese and vanilla extract until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Stop machine, scrape down sides of bowl then add confectioners' sugar. Cream together until smooth.
