Chocolate and beetroot together – wonderful
I know you’re thinking, why on earth would you put chocolate and beetroot together? But, surprisingly, they are great together. Beetroot has a natural sweetness to it, and is loaded with other goodness too. Chocolate. Well, we all know that chocolate, especially dark chocolate is good for you. The beetroot gives this cake an amazing colour lift. Chocolate colours mixed with deep reds! (no, you’re not at the hairdresser).
The texture of this cake is rich and dense. Not heavy like a traditional mud cake, and not super light like a sponge. It’s also not overly sickly and sweet. that’s because we’ve taken the loads of refined sugar out of it. Raw sugar and raw cacao powder give a real flavour boost. And.. Gluten Free to boot! I’ve used almond flour, but you can use hazelnut meal too.
It’s best not to use a normal gluten free plain flour mix, as it usually has rice flour in it along with tapioca. These tend to be too finely ground and make the cake too gluggly. This chocolate and beetroot cake does have a texture to it – it’s not the smooth cake mix that comes out of a packet. And it’s not the smooth cake mix of your more traditional chocolate sponges. But that’s not a problem.
So. Have a go at this recipe. It’s been designed to give you more fibre, less refined sugars, and loads of flavour.
Chocolate and Beetroot cake
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- grater
- 24cm cake tin
Ingredients
- 300 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa) melted
- 300 g raw beetroot peeled and grated
- 150 g raw sugar substitute brown sugar if needed
- 40 g flax, hemp, chia mix Red Tractor brand or equivalent
- 120 g almond meal substitute hazelnut meal if wanted
- 2 tbsp raw cacao powder substitute dark cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 4 eggs separated
- 4 tbsp natural yoghurt can use buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170c. Grease and line at 24cm deep cake tin or three smaller tins
- Melt the chocolate in a large microwave safe mixing bowl.
- add the grated beetroot, sugar, flax mix, almond meal, cacao powder, baking powder and gently stir
- Add the egg yolks and yoghurt and mix until well combined
- Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, and gently fold through the chocolate mixture. Mix in a small amount first to break it up a bit, then add the rest.
- Divide amongst the three tins evenly, or place in one tin, and smooth the top. Bake for 50 minutes. Allow to cook completely in tins before turning out.
Nutrition
The ‘why’ behind more fibre, less processed ingredients
At the moment, more than any other time, we need to look after our health. Good gut health is strongly related to good mental health. So, that’s why we are changing some of the traditional recipes. And making them more gut friendly. One of my partners in a new venture is a dietitian who is extremely knowledgeable in gut health. Dr Sue Read is passionate about the link between gut and mental health. So between us, we are working on making food that is exciting to eat. Easy to cook. And won’t send you gut into hiding because it can’t deal with what you’re feeding it.
Follow us on Facebook in our new collaboration between Sue, myself and Sandy Murray, who is passionate about sustainability in our food systems and production. Lifestyle Food & Nutrition is about making a difference to the health and well being of you. Like us now for how you can be healthy in these difficult times and beyond.