Chocolate Beetroot Cake

On Fridays, I often bring home-made treats to work. However, for the past few weeks I haven't been bringing anything for no reason. Last Friday, I came to the office a bit late because I had a meeting somewhere else in the morning. But rumour had it that I have been baking. When I finally got to the office, guess what, there's no cake...

People were disappointed and I was given this look of disgust by several colleagues. I am also apparently blamed for staff's malnutrition problem and I have no right to appeal against this case. If they think they can get me into playing the guilt game, well, they succeed.

I bought some beetroot over the weekend. To be honest, I just need one beetroot, but ended up buying the bunch. Have I told you I had a problem with self-control? Anyway, that's a different subject to discuss.

With the leftover beetroot, I baked this chocolate beetroot cake. Strange that with the amount of beetroot going in the cake, you can't really taste it, but it blends beautifully with the cocoa and somehow keeps this rich chocolate cake wonderfully moist.

The recipe below calls for 28 cm cake tin, I don't have one, so I used one of those disposable square tin instead. Worked just fine. I brought the cake to the office and everyone's happy...

I am off to London tomorrow then Paris the next day until the weekend. Have a great week ahead! I know I will.

Chocolate Beetroot cake
Recipe from Canteen - Great British Food
Makes a 28 cm cake

4 eggs
230 g caster sugar
350 g cooked beetroot, peeled
165 ml sunflower oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
150 g plain white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
40 g cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
200 g white chocolate chunks
butter, for greasing

Preheat the oven to 160 C. Whisk together the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and thick. In a food processor, blend the beetroot with the oil and vanilla extract until smooth. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl.

Whisk the beetroot into the egg and sugar mix, then gently fold the sifted dry ingredients. Mix in the white chocolate. Butter a 28 cm cake tin with a removable bottom and line the bottom and side with baking parchment. Pour in the cake mixture and bake for 40 - 50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool. When cold, remove the cake from then tin and dust the top with cocoa powder.