Chocolate Beetroot Cake

Beetroot, a vegetable full of rich, damp, earthy aromas is not an ingredient you would associate with baking. A salad yes but a cake?! 

Well, strange as it may sound beetroot and dark chocolate actually make the most perfect bedfellows. Those earthy smells just melt away leaving a delicious sweet cake.

With all this good weather my late planted beetroots have done really well and are now ready to be transformed into cake! 

I used a recipe from the 'delicious magazine' website just click here to read more. I did not make the icing but the recipe is shown below if required. 

If you want a cake with 'wow' factor click on the link and follow this recipe from Joy the Baker

Ingredients

250g dark chocolate, broken up
3 large eggs
200g light muscovado sugar
100ml sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g self-raising flour
a pinch of salt (not in the original recipe)
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
50g ground almonds
250g raw beetroot

For the icing
150g dark chocolate
100g icing sugar
100g soured cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Grease a 22cm round, loose-bottomed cake tin with a little butter and line the base with baking paper.

2. Place the dark chocolate in a bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water. Allow the chocolate to melt slowly until smooth, then set aside to cool.

3. Place the eggs, sugar and sunflower oil in a large mixing bowl and whisk together, using an electric hand whisk, for about 3 minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in vanilla extract, then sift over self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and gently fold in, together with the ground almonds.

4. Using a pair of rubber gloves to protect your fingers from staining, peel and grate the beetroot, then squeeze out the excess liquid. Fold the beetroot into the mixture with the cooled chocolate, until thoroughly mixed.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour. Cover with foil if the cake browns too quickly. Test the cake by inserting a skewer into the centre to see if it comes out clean. Cool for a little while, then remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

6. For the icing, place 150g dark chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Allow to melt gently until smooth. Set aside to cool, then beat in icing sugar and soured cream until you have a thick, creamy and spreadable icing. Spread it over the top and sides of the cooled cake and serve.

Chocolate Easter Loaf

This particular recipe was adapted from a Mowielicious recipe which was in turn adapted from a Nigel Slater dish. Be warned, you'll require several bowls and probably a spare pair of hands to assist with the various tasks. They can also help with the washing up! 

Ingredients

For the loaf

200g dark chocolate (64%)
4 tbsp hot espresso
200g butter, cubed
135g plain flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder
3 tbsp cocoa powder
5 eggs, separated
200g caster sugar
250g cooked and peeled beetroot, pureed

For the chocolate butter cream

150g icing sugar
75g butter, softened
25g cocoa powder
50ml double cream

For the chocolate icing

100g dark chocolate (64%)
2 tbsp golden syrup
100 ml double cream

Method

Heat the oven to 160C/Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line two cake tins with baking paper. I used two 3 lb loaf tins - alternatively you can use two 20cm round cake tins. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Pour the espresso into the melted chocolate, stir, then add the cubes of butter and continue stirring until melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Sift the flour with baking powder and cocoa. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks until frothy. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then add the sugar and fold into the egg whites. Pour the egg yolks and beetroot into the chocolate mixture and carefully fold in. Add the egg white mixture and fold in. Add the flour mixture and fold until just incorporated. Pour into the prepared cake tins, level and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

For the butter-cream, sift the cocoa with the icing sugar and mix with the butter until crumbly. Add the double cream and mix until incorporated. Smooth this onto the top of one cake and cover with the other cake. 

For the icing, heat the chocolate with the cream and syrup over a low heat, stirring continuously until thick and glossy. Pour over the cake, decorate as desired and serve.

I used dark chocolate truffles and white chocolate bunnies for the Easter season.

Bunnies and Truffles Optional

The cake is light and moist and trust me, you will only need a small piece!