Chocolate & Beetroot Cake

Chocolate & Beetroot Cake

The Albion Tavern took part in a Valentine's Day cake sale recently, all in aid of the charity FSID (details of which can be found by clicking the link on the top right of the home page). I'd had some appreciative comments about some Beetroot & Choc Chip Cupcakes I'd made before, so thought I'd take the theme to the next level. I'd seen this recipe, courtesy of Delicious magazine, when researching the use of beetroot in cake and knew that this would be the one to make. It didn't disappoint, as you can see from the picture above – moist, spongey, deliciously chocolately with just a background hint of sweet beetroot. Previous experience told me that beetroot loses its vibrant colour when baking, so I added a couple of drops of red food colouring to the batter. I'd probably add a couple more next time. As to the sale, well the cake was a hit, despite scepticism from the odd taste-deficient philistine, and it was gone in an hour. I think I got about 16 slices from it, but of course you can be more generous/greedy.

Ingredients:
250g plain chocolate, broken up
3 large free-range eggs
200g light muscovado sugar
100ml sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
50g ground almonds
250g raw beetroot
2-3 drop red food colouring

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

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Grease a 22cm round, loose-bottomed cake tin with a little butter and line the base with baking paper.
2. Place the plain 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 plain 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.