Serves 8–10
300g cooked, unseasoned beetroot, peeled and puréed
4 large free-range eggs
4 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon raw cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder (if you want your cake to be gluten-free)
Pinch of salt
125g ground almonds
125 dark chocolate (preferably Green & Black’s 70% cocoa solids), broken into small pieces
4 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Grease and line a 22cm loose-bottomed cake tin.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the beetroot, eggs, honey, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt with an electric hand mixer. When these ingredients are thoroughly combined, fold in the ground almonds.
Place a heatproof bowl on the top of a saucepan containing a little water. Make sure the bowl is big enough to cover the top of the pan but do not allow the bottom of the bowl to be in contact with the water. Put the chocolate pieces in the bowl and allow to melt over a low heat, then mix in the oil. Gently stir the chocolate and oil into the cake mixture until well combined.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave the cake to cool in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.
Once the cake is completely cool, dust with cocoa powder. Serve on its own or with crème fraîche.
