There is something rather delightful about cooking with beetroot – do you think so also? I think it must be the intensity and vibrancy of colour plus that it has been buried within mother earth….such treasure!

I rarely make chocolate cakes, preferring my simple flourless chocolate brownie, however last Sunday after the morning swimming with the girls, cake seemed like the perfect afternoon activity.

Not being one to stick to recipes, I had a little experiment and here is what I came up with. It was a beautiful moist cake, I would probably add a little less beetroot next time (maybe 400grams) although I found over the days afterwards, the crumb was absolutely perfect and I was greatful for that little extra moisture.

Serve it with some fresh cream and raspberries. (Frozen raspberries in the warmer months are delicious!)

From the pantry

500 grams of fresh beetroot – peeled and pureed raw

200 grams of soften butter

2 eggs

1 cup rapadura sugar

1 1/2 cup whole spelt flour

1 teaspoons bicarb soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 cup milk

squeeze of lemon

optional – milk or dark eating chocolate 40 grams, broken into little pieces and tucked into the cake before baking.

Let’s begin

Preheat oven to 170’C/150’C fan forced. Line deep cake pan (22 cm) with baking paper.

Prepare beetroot by peeling and chopping into chunks. Puree in food processor until paste like.

Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Stir in (sifted) flour, baking powder and bicarb soda, add pureed beetroot, milk and squeeze of lemon.

Spread mixture into pan.

Push pieces of chocolate into the cake before baking.

Bake cake for 1 hour 10 minutes. Stand cake in pan 5 minutes; turn onto wire rack to cool.

Enjoy – I’d love to know if you make it, leave me a comment and tell me how it went. Nat xx