Beetroot Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Contains: egg, milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

• 200g/7oz butter
• 250g/9oz cooked and peeled beetroot
• 200g/7oz dark chocolate
• 4 tbsp hot espresso
• 135g/5oz plain flour
• 1 heaped tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 5 free-range eggs
• 190g/6½oz golden caster sugar
• or crème fraîchedouble cream

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line a 20cm (8in) round cake tin.

2. Grate the cooked beetroot finely, or blend it until smooth, and set aside.

3. Break the dark chocolate into a heatproof bowl, add the butter, and set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth, then take off the heat and stir in the hot espresso.

4. Whisk the eggs and golden caster sugar together for about 5 minutes until pale, thick and doubled in volume.

5. Gently stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then fold in the beetroot.

6. Sift the plain flour, baking powder and cocoa powder over the batter and fold in gently in two additions until just combined.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the cake is set and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with only moist crumbs.

8. Cool the cake in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.

9. Lightly whip the crème fraîche or double cream until soft peaks form, then serve alongside the cooled cake slices.