A favourite in 1970’s British salads (served cooked and pickled in vinegar), beetroot is a root vegetable with dark, purple skin and pink/purple flesh. It has also enjoy something of a deserved comeback in recent years, its earthy rich and sweet flavour and vibrant colour lends itself to a variety of both sweet and savoury dishes. Beetroot is a close relative of spinach and chard and has good nutritional content, it is also considered to be a good detoxifier.
BEETROOT CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE
Ingredients
• 250g dark chocolate
• 3 medium free-range eggs
• 250g light muscovado sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthways and seeds scraped out
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons clear honey
• 40g self-raising flour
• 40g plain flour
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 25g cocoa powder
• 50g ground almonds
• 250g raw beetroot – peel, finely grate and drain on kitchen paper
• 100ml strong black coffee
• 30ml sunflower oil For the topping
• 150g dark chocolate
• 3 tablespoons strong black coffee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC or 140ºC for fan assisted). Grease a round 20cm diameter by 8cm high loose-bottomed tin with a small amount of sunflower oil
2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until dissolved, cool
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, scraped-out vanilla seeds, maple syrup and honey for three min with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy
4. Gently fold in the flours, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cocoa and ground almonds until fully incorporated. Fold in the beetroot, cooled chocolate, coffee and oil, mix well
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and cook in the middle of the oven for 1 hour 30 min. After this time, cover the cake with foil and bake for another 30 min
6. Test the cake by inserting a skewer into the centre to see if it comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack
7. To make the fudge topping, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, remove from the heat and add the coffee and the vanilla essence. Add the honey and gently mix in
8. Set aside to cool for 15 min before icing the cake. Cut the cake through the middle and ice it in the centre and on all sidesThis cake is best eaten whilst still warm.