chocolate beetroot cake

this video is an endless source of inspiration to me. whenever I am not 'feeling it' in the kitchen - it is truly beautiful. my favourite part is the way they captured the brown sugar moving cause it really does that! and it's so lovely to capture that small moment of cooking which is so naturally beautiful.
watch it now!


beet cake from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

and ever since I saw this video about 2 years ago I have wanted to make a chocolate beetroot cake and it was only today, when the boredom of holidays was almost about to set in, I made one! I chose a Nigel Slater recipe from Tender because one day I would really like to own that book! I am particulary in love with the poppyseeds on top as a garnish, I think there is a grand plan for poppyseeds, they are so much more than a partner for oranges in cakes!

 

chocolate beetroot cake
straight from david lebovitz

240 g beetroots, unpeeled, rinsed and scrubbed clean
200 g dark chocolate
1/4 cup (60 ml) hot espresso
7 ounces (200 g) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (150 g) flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) castor sugar

boil the beets in salted water until they’re very tender when you stick a knife in them about 45 minutes. rinse the beets with cold water. when they are cool enough to handle, slip off the peels and process in a food processor until you make a smooth puree

preheat the oven to 170ºC and prepare a cake tin

in a heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate (I cheated in the microwave but over simmering water is good too). once its pretty much melted add the hot espresso and butter. allow to cool before stirring in the egg yolks. fold in the beetroot puree

sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a separate bowl. 

whip the egg whites until frothy and getting stiff. start adding the sugar to create a meringue. fold them into the melted chocolate mixture then add the sifted dry ingredients, folding carefully without overmixing!

pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 mintues until the sides are set but the centre is still a little wobbly, this will help create the fudgy wonderful texture! cool in tin and serve with creme fraiche or sour cream icing and poppyseeds!