Chocolate and Beetroot Cake

Chocolate and Beetroot Cake this recipe by Jamie Oliver is great to bake with the kids – and adding a vegetable too. Flavour-wise beetroot is sweet, which is why it works really well in cakes even though it’s a vegetable. You can grate it by hand using a box grater, if you prefer, depending on how much time you have
search Cakes and Bakes
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients

  • olive oil
  • plain flour for dusting
  • 300 g good-quality dark chocolate 70% cocoa solids
  • 250 g raw beetroot
  • 4 large free-range eggs
  • 150 g golden caster sugar
  • 120 g ground almonds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon good-quality cocoa powder
  • natural yoghurt to serve

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
  • Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 20cm springform cake tin with olive oil. Use scissors to cut out a circle of greaseproof paper, roughly the same size as the bottom of the tin, and use it to line the base.
  • Dust the sides of the tin lightly with flour, then tap the tin to get rid of any excess.
  • Break 200g of the chocolate into small pieces and add to a heatproof bowl.
  • Place the bowl on top of a small pan of simmering water over a medium heat, making sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water, and allow to melt, stirring occasionally.
  • Once melted, use oven gloves to carefully remove from the heat and put to one side – beware of the steam when you lift up the bowl.
  • Use a Y-shaped peeler to peel the beetroot (you might want to wear gloves to do this), then quarter them on a chopping board.
  • Push the beetroot through the coarse grater attachment on the food processor, then tip into a large mixing bowl.
  • Separate the eggs, placing the whites into a large clean mixing bowl and adding the yolks to the beetroot, then wash your hands.
  • Stir the sugar, almonds, baking powder, cocoa powder and melted chocolate into the beetroot and mix together well.
  • Use an electric hand whisk to whisk the egg whites until you have stiff peaks.
  • Use a spatula to fold a quarter of the egg whites into the beetroot mixture to loosen, then once combined, fold in the rest but try not to over-mix.
  • Add the mixture to the prepared cake tin and spread out evenly using a spatula.
  • Bake in the hot oven for around 50 minutes, or until risen and cooked through.
  • To check if it’s done, stick a cocktail stick or skewer into the middle of the sponge, remove it after 5 seconds and if it comes out clean the cake’s cooked; if it’s slightly sticky it needs a bit longer.
  • Allow the cake to cool slightly, then carefully turn it out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • When you’re ready to serve, melt the remaining chocolate (in the same way as above), then serve each slice with some yoghurt and a little drizzle of the melted chocolate.