BEETROOT CHOCOLATE CAKE
If you haven’t yet discovered the wonderful cake combination that is beetroot and chocolate, then this is the perfect introductory recipe. Rich, moist and utterly delicious.
Ingredients
250g beetroot
200g 72% cocoa dark chocolate, broken into chunks
4 tablespoons hot espresso coffee
200g butter
135g plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
5 eggs, separated
190g golden caster sugar
For chocolate glaze:
30g unsalted butter
60g 72% cocoa dark chocolate, broken into chunks
1 cup icing sugar, sieved
2 tablespoons boiling water
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180°C
Lightly butter a 20cm spring form cake tin and line with baking paper
Cook beetroot whole and unpeeled in boiling unsalted water until tender, about 30-40 mins. Drain and cool under running water. Peel beetroot and remove stem and root
In a food processor, blender or with a stick blender, puree cooked beetroot to a rough paste
Add chocolate to a heat-proof bowl that will sit on top of a small saucepan filled with water, ensuring the bowl isn’t touching the water. Bring water to a simmer over a medium heat and melt the chocolate in the bowl
Add coffee and butter to the chocolate and stir to combine. When butter has melted, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly
Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa together into a bowl. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks until frothy
Add chocolate mix, sugar and beetroot puree to egg yolks and fold through to combine. Add flour and cocoa mix and stir to combine
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add egg whites and whisk to soft peaks. Fold egg whites into chocolate mix. Pour into prepared tin and bake for 40-50 mins, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely before removing from tin
Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze
Combine butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, until melted. Stir in sifted sugar and add boiling water until thinned as desired. Drizzle chocolate glaze over cake