Chocolate and Beetroot Cake

A dark, moist earthy cake finished off with a dark chocolate ganache

I had some leftover beetroot from a dinner party and wanted to use it in a cake. My mind initially went to red velvet, but I have honestly never enjoyed the flavour of beetroot in a red velvet cake. I had a chocolate and beetroot cake a long time ago and really enjoyed how the earthy notes of the beetroot complemented the cocoa in the cake – so a chocolate and beetroot cake it was!

The cake is actually really simple to throw together and comes together in one bowl. The cake is not an intensely deep, fudgy chocolate cake as I wanted the beetroot to come through as well. In combination with the dark chocolate ganache however, the depth of chocolate really comes through and adds a lovely silkiness to each bite of the cake.

If you want a chocolate cake with a more dense, fudgy crumb, I suggest this dark chocolate mud cake.

TIPS FOR MAKING THIS CHOCOLATE AND BEETROOT CAKE

• Can I substitute the oil in the recipe, with butter? No, the oil here is key to giving the cake a level of moistness. This will not be achieved with butter.
• What can I substitute for sour cream? If you do not have sour cream, you can use yogurt instead.
• My ganache split, what should I do? It is likely that the cream was too hot and caused the ganache to split. This may produce an oily feel to the ganache. Heat about two tablespoons of cream, until just hot, but not boiling, and stir it in, until the ganache comes together. This will soften the ganache a bit though, so be mindful of that.

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FOR THE CHOCOLATE AND BEETROOT CAKE

• 180g caster sugar
• 180g cake flour
• 50g cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 250g raw red beetroot, peeled and grated
• 2 large eggs
• 100g sour cream
• 60ml strong coffee
• 125ml vegetable oil

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper and set aside.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together.
3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add in the beetroot.
4. Whisk the egg together to combine, then add in the sour cream, oil and coffee and mix together.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and the beetroot. Mix thoroughly to combine.
6. Bake in the oven for 45 – 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove from the tin and let cool completely, before icing.

FOR THE GANACHE

• 140g 70% cocoa dark chocolate
• 100ml whipping cream

METHOD

1. Whilst the cake is baking, make the ganache.
2. Roughly chop the dark chocolate.
3. Heat the cream until it begins to gently bubble on the sides, but do not let it boil.
4. Pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for five minutes.
5. Stir until the chocolate and cream is combined.
6. Let it cool to a spreading consistency, before spreading on top of the cooled cake.

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com