Chocolate and Beetroot Cake

If you're put off by the idea of a vegetable-based cake - or have friends that might be - then this is the one to start with. Beetroot is actually very sweet and including it in this cake only enhances the chocolate flavour and ensures it stays deliciously moist. 

Ingredients 

Serves 10

175 grams plain flour

10 grams baking powder

75 grams cocoa powder

225 grams caster sugar

3 eggs

225 grams raw beetroot (roasted, peeled and chopped)

200 millilitres corn oil

For the chocolate ganache

250 grams dark chocolate

250 millilitres double cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C / gas mark 6.

Grease and line a 20cm cake tin (pref spring form)

Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and sugar into a bowl.

Blend the eggs, beetroot and corn oil in a blender until smooth. Fold the beetroot mixture into the dry ingredients. Bake for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the ganache. Put the double cream into a saucepan and simmer gently until just before it reaches boiling point. Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a mixing bowl.

Pour the warmed double cream onto the broken chocolate and mix gently until the two are blended together to make a silky chocolate icing.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool, once chilled generously cover the cake with the chocolate ganache.