Beetroot Cake

Beetroot is one of my favourite vegetables. It's sweet, spicy and often under-rated at how versatile it can be. One of the best uses for it, is of course in a rich chocolate cake! Dense, fudgey and decadent.
If you like red velvet cake or chocolate cake then this is for you, except it's even better, instead of food colouring, using the beetroot to naturally colour the cake and icing. 


Ingredients (serves 8-12**):

• 2/3 cup light flavoured vegetable oil (rice bran, canola, or light olive oil)
• 50 g dark chocolate - Whittaker's 72% is great to cook with
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups) packed grated raw beetroot
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ cup self-raising flour
• 5 tbsp cocoa
• 1/4 tsp salt

Icing

• 125g tub of cream cheese
• 1/2 a cup of icing sugar
• 2 - 3 tbsp of reserved beetroot juice

Method 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Line the base of a springform 20cm cake tin, then oil and lightly dust with flour to prevent sticking. Shake excess flour from the tin.

In a small saucepan, gently heat oil and chocolate so the chocolate begins to melt. Remove from heat and stir till completely melted. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Grate beetroot (a food processor can be good here), squeeze 2-3 tablespoons of liquid from the beetroot, and set aside for the icing. Mix beetroot with eggs and sugar. Stir in chocolate and oil, before adding sifted flour, cocoa and salt.

Mix all together to form a smooth batter, and pour into your prepared tin.

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes till top is a little cracked, but set. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile make the icing by mixing the beetroot juice and cream cheese till smooth, and no lumps are present. Then stir in the sifted icing till well combined. Pour and spread the icing over the cooled cake.

Due to the cream cheese icing, this cake will need to be stored in the fridge.

** You can make this as a cake, or as cupcakes. To make cupcakes line a muffin tray with paper cases and bake only 25 minutes.