Beetroot Cake Recipe

This is a lovely recipe

Ingredients for Beetroot Cake:

• 150g raw beetroot, grated
• 200 ml groundnut oil
• 250g golden caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs, separated
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 100g hazelnuts, roasted and chopped
• 200g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon each ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg
  

• Topping:
• 180g unsalted butter, softened
• 150g icing sugar, sifted
• 450g low-fat cream or curd cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pink and pale blue sugar flowers to decorate

Method for Beetroot Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 170degC fan/190degC/gas mark 5 and butter two 20cm cake tines 9cm deep with a removable base.  Line the base with baking paper and butter this tool.
2. Place about 1 teaspoon of the grated beetroot in a small bowl, cover with 2 teaspoons boiling water and set aside (this is to colour the frosting later on).
3. Whisk the oil and caster sugar in a large bowl, then whisk in the egg yolks and milk, and fold in the remaining beetroot and nuts.  Sift flour and baking power together and stir into the mixture, then add the spices.  Whisk egg whites in another bowl until stiff, then fold them in three goes into the cake mixture.
4. Divide this between the tins, smoothing the surface and bake for 30-35 mins or until shrinking from the sides and skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.  Run knife around the edge of the cakes and leave to cool.
5. Make frosting, cream butter and icing sugar in food processor.  Remove butter icing to a bowl, blend with cream cheese until smooth and work in vanilla extract and a couple of teaspoons of the beetroot liquor to tint it a pale pink.
6. Turn cakes onto a board and remove baking paper.  Spread about a quarter of the frosting over the top of one of the cakes, sandwich with the other and use the remaining frosting to coat the top and sides.  Decorate the top and sides with sugar flowers and place in fridge to set for approx. 1 hour.
7. If not serving straight away, cover with clingfilm and chill and remove from fridge about 30 mins before eating.