We grow beetroot every year and thanks to my two younger children and their generosity when sowing the seeds, we have a lot of it. That’s not so bad because I make batches of nomato sauce to freeze and I love roasted beetroot, but I needed another way of using it, one that the kids would eat too.
I’ve made chocolate beetroot cake before, but I hadn’t made it gluten free. It was also quite dry and earthy and got the thumbs down from my taste testers. This recipe, on the other hand, was well received and so I can add it to my collection of cake recipes that include vegetables (I also have a chocolate courgette cake recipe and a courgette and carrot loaf).
Using ground almonds instead of flour means that this recipe is not only gluten free, it’s grain free too. The fat from the almonds keeps the cake moist and with the addition of the sweet potato and beetroot, it’s dense and more like a pudding than a light sponge. Using the sweet potato keeps the sugar levels down too.
- 3 small beetroots roasted, peeled and grated
- 200 g ground almonds
- 130 g sugar
- 80 g sweet potato cooked weight
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 ml olive oil
- 50 g raw cacao
- 125 ml boiling water
- pinch salt
- Mix the cacao with the boiling water to form a paste
- Add the vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture, then add the grated beetroot and stir together
- In a separate bowl, mix together the almonds, bicarbonate of soda and salt
- In a third bowl, whisk together the sugar, sweet potatoes, olive oil and eggs
- Add the chocolate mixture to the egg and sugar mix and continue to whisk
- Finally, add the dry ingredients and mix to make sure all is fully incorporated
- Pour into a greased 9 inch springform tin and bake at gas 3/170° for 50 minutes to 1 hour. When a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, the cake is done.
