This cake is not one of those cakes where the beetroot is added just for fun, you can taste the beetroot in the cake however if you don’t like beetroot, I would still say to try the cake as it’s so moist and tasty and it does mainly taste like chocolate, I served some to my family and although they could tell it wasn’t only a chocolate cake, no one guessed the “secret ingredient was beetroot.
Vegetables in cake is not a new thing (carrot cake anyone?) and beetroot was the original colouring for red velvet cake, if you’ve ever roasted a fresh beetroot you will know how beautifully sweet and tender they become.
Although the original recipe says to serve it dusted with icing sugar I decided to cover it in chocolate ganache. I used 85% chocolate in the cake because I love the deeper rich flavour in cooking . I also discovered that I’d somehow not weighed my beetroot properly at the market and since I was only around 50g short, I chucked strawberries in as that is what I had on hand, I’m always breaking the food rules because I know that even if it turns out looking messed up and lopsided we will still eat it as we don’t waste food ’round here!
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
- 250g butter at room temperature
- 325g dark muscovado sugar
- 4 medium eggs beaten
- 250g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
- 450g raw beetroot finely grated
- 115g grated dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids)
- 1⁄2 tbsp vanilla essence
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/gas 4. Butter a 23cm deep-sided cake tin.
- In a bowl, mix together the softened butter and muscovado sugar until light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs little by little, mixing well.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into the cake batter and stir well. Add the grated beetroot to the cake mix together with the grated chocolate. Stir well to combine and add the vanilla essence.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin and bake for 50-65 minutes, depending
on your oven and the depth of the cake tin (the cake in the photograph took 1 hour).
Check whether it is ready by carefully piercing the centre of the cake with a skewer. It should come out relatively clean. If you can still see pink batter on the skewer, it needs longer. Cover the top of the cake loosely with foil to prevent it from burning while the middle cooks.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve dusted with icing sugar.
Recipe from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1033341/Beetroot-chocolate-cake.html#ixzz2SeDBOEuD
Please wear gloves when grating your beetroot!
I really love using dark muscovado sugar especially in Chocolate desserts/cakes.
Creamed the butter and sugar.
Added beaten eggs little by little, don’t worry if it starts looking curdled it’ll be fine
Sifted in my flour and cocoa,
Grated my chocolate with my hot little hands, if you do this freeze or refrigerate your chocolate first!
not enough beetroot, so strawberries are red chucked them in too!
Once everything has been incorporated it looks like this… Hmm very appetising!
I greased and floured my cake tin as I thought a cake this moist would need the extra “non stickiness.
Also the flour gives the cake something to cling onto as it rises.
While the cake was in the oven I made my Chocolate Ganache
Left it to cool and firm up at room temperature while the cake continued to bake…
It rose perfectly with a slight crust and cracks, which are perfectly normal, you can just see the strawberries peeking through!
Once it had cooled enough I turned the cake out of the tin onto a cooling rack, it turned out perfectly.
Once my ganache had cooled and firmed to the texture of chocolate spread I spread it on the cake using a large palette knife.
I used the tip of the palette knife to create swirled patterns.
It really was delicious, if you’re a foodie like me give it a go.
Luv Sian
xxx
