Beet Dark Chocolate Loaf

Adapted by Kyle Libramonte

Prep Time: 20 Mins (plus 1 hour to roast beets) • Cook Time: 35-40 Mins

Serves 12 Slices

Ingredients

Beet Purée

250 g beets (about 2 medium), roasted and puréed

Wet Ingredients

100 g granulated sugar (½ cup)
3 large eggs
75 ml extra virgin olive oil (about ⅓ cup)
200 g nonfat Greek yogurt (about ¾ cup)
Zest of 1 orange
2 tsp vanilla extract
60 ml milk (¼ cup), only if needed to loosen the batter

Dry Ingredients

120 g all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
60 g chocolate casein or whey-casein blend protein powder
45 g Dutch-process cocoa powder (about ½ cup)
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp fine sea salt

Mix-In

70 g dark chocolate (70% cacao or higher), chopped

Instructions

Roast the Beets: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wrap the whole, unpeeled beets in foil. Roast for about 1 hour, until a knife slides in with no resistance. Let them cool, then rub off the skins with a paper towel. Blend the beets until completely smooth. The purée can be made up to 3 days ahead.
Preheat The Claypot: Set the oven to 325°F and place The Claypot inside without the lid. Let it heat while you make the batter. The gentler temperature matters because protein powder browns and sets quickly, and a hotter oven can harden the outside before the center is cooked. While the pot heats, cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to line the bottom and sides of The Claypot, with some overhang for lifting the loaf out later.
Make the Wet Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs for a full minute, until pale. Slowly stream in the olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Add the beet purée, Greek yogurt, orange zest, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
Sift the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, protein powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Don't skip sifting. Protein powder clumps easily, and any dry pockets will taste chalky in the finished loaf.
Combine Gently: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a spatula unti barely combined. Casein absorbs a lot of liquid. If the batter is stiff enough to hold a spoon upright, add the milk a splash at a time untill the batter drops slowly off the spatula. Stop mixing while a few streaks remain.
Add the Chocolate: Set aside a small handful of chopped chocolate for the top. Fold the rest into the batter.
Fill the Claypot: Using oven mitts, carefully remove the hot Claypot from the oven. Set it on a dry trivet or folded towel, never a cold or wet surface. Press the parchment into the pot, then scrape in the batter and smooth the surface. Scatter the reserved chocolate over the top.
Bake: Return The Claypot to the oven right away. Bake with the lid off for 35–40 minutes, starting to check at 35 minutes. The loaf is done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it. If the skewer comes out clean, the loaf is overbaked.
Cool Completely: Clay holds heat much longer than a metal pan, so the loaf will keep cooking if it sits in the pot too long. Let it rest in The Claypot for just 10 minutes. Then lift it out using the parchment overhang and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Once cool, wrap it tightly. It keeps for up to 4 days at room temperature and freezes well in individual slices.

Chef's Tips

Choose casein, not straight whey. Whey protein tightens in the oven, which is what makes many protein bakes rubbery. Casein holds onto moisture and behaves much more like flour.
Don't skip preheating The Claypot. Starting the batter in a hot pot helps the loaf bake evenly and more quickly, giving you a tender center with set edges.
Underbake rather than overbake. Protein loaves can go from moist to dry in just a few minutes, and The Claypot's retained heat adds a little extra cooking after it leaves the oven. Pull the loaf when the skewer still shows moist crumbs.
Roast the beets in The Claypot, too. Instead of wrapping them in foil, place the beets in The Claypot with a splash of water, cover with the lid, and roast as directed. Let the pot cool completely and wash it before preheating it for the loaf.
It's even better the next day. The casein keeps absorbing moisture overnight and the crumb settles, so day two is the sweet spot.
Want a little more protein? Replace 1 whole egg with 3 egg whites. It adds about half a gram of protein per slice and trims a couple of calories. Going further than that starts to hurt the texture.