Chocolate beetroot cake

Chocolate beetroot cake
Chocolate beetroot cake
Serves: 0
Course: Dessert
Cooking Time: 1 hr 0 mins

Ingredients

  • 160g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1tsp vanilla
  • 200g grated raw beetroot
  • 110g plain flour
  • 35g cocoa powder
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 100ml light olive oil
  • FOR THE FROSTING:
  • 1tbs honey
  • ½tsp vanilla extract
  • 200g cream cheese, cold

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Brush a loaf tin with olive oil and dust with cocoa powder. Set aside.

Beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and light. Add the vanilla. Fold in the grated beetroot. Sieve in half the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Mix gently until combined. Add the olive oil and the remaining flour. Mix only until there are no lumps.

Spoon the mix into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes or until the cake starts to come away form the side of the tin and a toothpick comes out clean. Leave to rest in the tin for five minutes before cooling on a rack.

To make the frosting just combine the cream cheese with the honey and vanilla. Once the cake is cool, spread the icing in a thick layer on top. You can drizzle with a little glacé icing tinted with beetroot juice and scatter some cacao nibs or berries over the top.

This cake tastes best when kept in the fridge.

Lilly Higgins

Lilly Higgins

Lilly Higgins, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a food writer