Chocolate Beetroot Cake

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

There is plenty of beetroot around at the moment. This lovely vegetable is so versatile and really good for you. It's quite a sweet vegetable so, just like carrots, it makes a great ingredient for cake.

Here's a recipe that's soft, moist and really delicious.

Ingredients
olive oil
plain flour, for dusting
300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
250g raw grated beetroot
4 large eggs
150g golden caster sugar
120g ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Method
 
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 20cm springform cake tin with olive oil. Cut out a circle of greaseproof paper, roughly the same size as the bottom of the tin, and use it to line the base. Dust the sides of the tin lightly with flour, then tap the tin to get rid of any excess.

2. Break 200g of the chocolate (reserving 100g for the topping) into small pieces and add to a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl on top of a small pan of simmering water over a medium heat, making sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water, and allow to melt, stirring occasionally. Once melted, use oven gloves to carefully remove from the heat and put to one side.

3. Separate the eggs, placing the whites into a large clean mixing bowl and adding the yolks to the beetroot.

4. Stir the sugar, almonds, baking powder, cocoa powder and melted chocolate into the beetroot and mix together well.

5. Use an electric hand whisk to whisk the egg whites until you have stiff peaks. Use a spatula to fold a quarter of the egg whites into the beetroot mixture to loosen, then once combined, fold in the rest but try not to over-mix.

6. Add the mixture to the prepared cake tin and spread out evenly using a spatula.

7. Bake in the hot oven for around 50 minutes, or until risen and cooked through.

8. Allow the cake to cool slightly, then carefully turn it out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

9. When ready to serve, melt the remaining chocolate and drizzle over the top.

This is delicious served just as it is or with a dollop of cream, creme fraiche or natural yogurt.


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