chocolate beetroot cake

Beetroot is not the most widely appreciated of all vegetables in this household. But I have come to love its deep red colour and iron-y taste and simply adore it either fresh or roasted in a salad. Not so my Mr. Big, who while good-naturedly putting up with all of this healthy eating, has said on more than one occasion "just don't come to me with broccoli or beetroot".

So when I saw this recipe from Jill Dupleix, featuring beetroot in a chocolate cake, it was like a deep red rag to a bull. The beetroot keeps the cake wonderfully moist and lends it an earthy tone but it is no way overpowering, in fact had I not baked it myself I wouldn't possibly believe it was just so darn good for us. And Mr. Big enjoyed his beetroot for the very first time.

Chocolate Beetroot Cake (courtesy of Jill Dupleix's New Food)
200ml sunflower oil
75g cocoa powder
180g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
250g sugar
250g vacuum-packed cooked beetroot in natural juice, drained
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
icing sugar (to dust)

Grease a 20cm springform cake tin and heat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius (gas 4). Sift the cocoa, flour and baking powder into a bowl, then add the sugar and set aside. Blend the beetroot in a food processor, then add the eggs separately, blending after each addition. Pour in the oil and vanilla extract and blend until smooth. Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the beetroot mix and stir until just combined. Pour into the cake tin and place in the oven for about 50 minutes (or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean). Leave to cool for about 15 minutes, then remove the cake from the tin and continue to cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

(The cake won't rise very much and will crack on the top. Jill suggests also serving as a pudding with hot chocolate sauce and a dollop of ice cream)