This is another recipe from the wonderful "Live, Bake, Nourish by Amber Rose" and it's surprisingly delicious and light and very chocolatey! If you like alternative bakes or are looking for recipes that use less flour, are gluten free or sugar free then I would highly recommend this book! I have only ever used carrots in cakes and so I was keen to try a beetroot bake and see how it enhanced the flavour of a cake and how it contributed to the texture. Along with this recipe being flour-free and also low in sugar it certainly was a new style bake for me and one I would definitely make again. The beetroot adds an earthiness that compliments the depth of flavour from the dark chocolate and the natural sweetness of the honey.My husband can't stand beetroot and yet he loved this cake, so it goes to show that the beetroot enhances the flavour rather than overpowers it. We enjoyed this lovely bake with a dollop of creme fraiche on top!
Ingredients
300g Cooked, unseasoned Beetroot, peeled and pureed
4 Eggs
4 tbsp Honey
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder (plus extra for dusting)
1 tsp Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
125g Ground Almonds
125g 70% Cocoa Solid Dark Chocolate
4 tbsp Olive Oil
How To Make
1. Preheat the oven to 180'c and grease and base line a 10 inch cake tin.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat together the beetroot, eggs, honey, vanilla, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt with an electric mixer. When these are thoroughly combined fold in the ground almonds.
3. Now its time to melt the chocolate. Amber Rose melts her "bain marie" style over a pan of water, whereas I used the microwave for speed. Once melted mix in the oil and then gently stir this chocolate oil combination into the rest of the mix until well combined.
4. Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
*I checked on mine after 25 minutes because when I baked my Flour-Free Orange, Almond & Pistachio Cake (also from her book) it baked much quicker in my oven than what was suggested in the recipe. It was the same with this bake, it was indeed ready after 25 mins, and so I would recommend checking on your cake around the 25 minute mark.*
5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for a while before turning out onto a cooling rack. Once the cake is completely cool, dust with cocoa powder and serve either on its own or with a dollop of creme fraiche.
This recipe was given to me by my friend Becky Miles, who is an amazing baker and has her own cake business called Fondant & Frosting. I had been after a really moist, chocolately sponge cake recipe and so when she passed me this little gem I had to try it out! I did wonder at first if it was going to be worth it after buying all the ingredients but once I tried a slice I knew it was worth every penny! It's dark, rich, moist and oh so chocolatey! I now only ever make this recipe when making a chocolate sponge. The other perk of this recipe, apart from the amazing taste, is that it makes a lot of batter. This mixture normally gives me two deep 10 inch sponges and a loaf cake, or two deep 7 inch sponges and 2 loaf cakes or a tray of cupcakes. It freezes really well too and so the extra cakes are great for popping in the freezer for another day. Icing-wise anything goes, I have tried it with white chocolate buttercream, milk chocolate buttercream and also fondant - as you will see in the pictures below of my eldest sons birthday cake and also my sisters Giraffe birthday cake. But one of the best toppings - and a bit of a cheat - is spreading a loaf cake with Nutella and then letting my boys garnish it with sprinkles and smarties galore!
Ingredients
325g Plain Flour
325g Butter (I use Stork)
325g 70% Cocoa Drak Chocolate
50ml Strong Coffee (I use Espresso)
1.5 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
475g Light Brown Soft Sugar
5 Eggs
284ml carton of Sour Cream
How to Make
1. Heat the oven to 160'c and grease and line your cake tins. Melt the butter and chocolate over a low heat and then add the vanilla and coffee and remove from the heat.
2. In a mixer combine together the bicarb, baking powder, flour and sugar. Beat the eggs and sour cream together and then add this to the dry mix.
3. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and stir together until smooth. Pour into the tins and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until firm and a skewer test comes out clean.
4. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Last year my sister had her 30th Birthday party and it was a "Cocktail & Canapes" theme. My Mum organised all the savoury canapes and asked me to do the sweet ones. They needed to be easy to pick up and not require a plate and so, sticking with the cocktail theme, I decided to do cocktail jelly shots and cocktail cupcakes - complete with "Shot Tops" which are little pipettes that you fill with a liquid of your choosing and stick them in the top of the cupcake. When eating you can infuse the cupcake with the liquid - or squirt it in your mouth as some did at the party!!! Anyway, after lots of research I settled on 3 flavours and one of them was Baileys, I know its not strictly a cocktail but with a chocolate sponge I thought this would go down a treat at the party and it was a nice contrast to the two other flavours I had devised. For this one I used a recipe on Bakingmad.com which makes 24 fairy cakes but I used it to make 12 cupcakes. I decorated them with chocolate covered coffee beans and a baileys shot.
Ingredients
40g Butter
140g Caster Sugar
100g Plain Flour
20g Cocoa Powder
1.5 tsp Baking Powder
1 Egg
50ml Baileys
80ml Whole Milk
For the icing...
125g Butter
500g Icing Sugar
15ml Milk
45ml Baileys
How To Make
1. Preheat your oven to 170'c and line a 12 hole cupcake tray with cases. Mix together butter, sugar, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. In a jug mix together the egg, baileys and milk. Then add slowly into the mixer to combine. Divide between the cupcake cases and then bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Transfer to a rack to cool.
3. For the icing mix together the butter and icing sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs. Then add the milk and baileys and pipe over the cupcakes. Decorate as you wish.
300g Cooked, unseasoned Beetroot, peeled and pureed
