Beet and Chocolate Cake
Inspired by Jamie Oliver
It might sound like an odd combination but beetroot is quite sweet and works well with dark chocolate, making a moist rich and not-too-sweet cake. Serve with thick Greek yoghurt to limit the sugar rush and a glass of earthy red wine - a Cabernet driven Médoc perhaps.
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
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Olive oil – vegan and full of polyphenols just like dark chocolate
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a sprinkling of plain flour
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300 g good-quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
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250 g raw beetroot
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4 large eggs (or vegan alternative such as 1 tbsp chia seeds & 2 tbsp water or 1 tbsp flaxseed with 3 tbsp warm water left for an hour in the fridge, stirred occasionally)
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100 g caster sugar
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120 g ground almonds
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1 tsp baking powder
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1 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder
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Plain Greek or coconut yoghurt to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 20cm springform cake tin with the olive oil. Cut out a circle of greaseproof paper the same size as the bottom of the tin to line the base. Dust the sides of the tin with the flour and tap to remove the excess.
Break 200g of the chocolate into small pieces and add to a heatproof bowl and melt over a bain-marie or in the micro wave
This is the messy bit - peel and quarter and grate the beetroot, a food processor makes this easier, put in a large mixing bowl.
Separate the eggs, place the whites into a different large mixing bowl, add the yolks or vegan alternative to the beetroot.
Stir the sugar, almonds, baking powder, cocoa powder and melted chocolate into the beetroot and mix well.
Whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks.
Gently fold a quarter of the egg whites into the beetroot mixture then, fold in the remainder without over mixing
Add the mixture to the cake tin and gently even it out
Bake in the hot oven for around 50 minutes, or until risen and cooked through.
If a cocktail skewer comes out of the cake clean it’s cooked.
Allow to cool a little and turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
You can drizzle some melted dark chocolate across the top and serve with the rich Greek yoghurt (or coconut yoghurt). Indulgent but not too much.....
Wines
Serve with a glass of earthy red wine, with some tannins, dark fruit and perhaps a little bottle age. Dark chocolate can bring out tannins in wine, but the texture the beetroot brings counteracts that so it's perfect for red wine and chocolate lovers. A Cabernet driven Médoc perhaps? If you’re celebrating a Margaux would be really special. We love Marquis d'Alesme, Château Giscours and Château Prieuré Lichine, all Classified Growths so special but still on the more affordable side and all very engaged with sustainability. Go on spoil yourself it’s Christmas.