Bring the beet back
CHOCOLATE AND BEETROOT TOGETHER? THESE DAYS, SAYS STEVE CUMPER, ANYTHING GOES.
are the only sure things in this life, but I’d add another one: food intolerances. When it comes to ordering food, it seems hardly a day goes by without someone presenting with a new allergy or aversion. I don’t want to trivialise the sufferings of those inflicted with debilitating illnesses, but it’s curious to me that while we are encouraged to embrace tolerance in our daily lives, evidence suggests we are becoming more intolerant when it comes to food.
I’ll leave it to those more informed than I to deliberate the reasons as to why this is happening but I think we can all agree our diets are in a time of rapid change. Who would have imagined 20 years ago vegetarianism would be considered mainstream and meat alternatives would sit beside real meat in the supermarket?
In my day, when a waiter asked what a vegetarian diner could order, a silence descended on the kitchen. The chef began to tremble, his veins pulsing on his forehead and his cheeks turning a shade of red before detonating into a fireball of indignation. And this was just at the school canteen!
Thankfully, chefs now welcome these customers. In fact, these days it would be a challenge to find a menu without vegetarian, gluten-free or vegan options. It would also be a brave operator that shuns their patronage now that social media makes it possible for customers to vent their as far as Iceland if they want to.
Chefs are also quite clever with a calculator so perhaps another reason vegetarian/vegan menu items are widely available now is not simply due to customer demand but also as a result of meat prices becoming prohibitively high. Vegie dishes are usually cheaper to make so it means chefs can offer diners an affordable option while still earning a decent margin. Whatever the reason, it’s great to see vegetables taking centrestage and being revered for their provenance and value.
One thing our evolving attitudes to food and diet has contributed is an increased confidence when it comes taking risks and experimentation. You can see this reflected in TV cooking shows where food combinations that were once unheard of are concocted regularly. Though some experiments are best left to the imagination, sometimes they manage to hit all the moving targets. Take this cake — it has no eggs, no dairy and pairs chocolate with a most unlikely baking buddy, beetroot! Who would have thought this salad staple would make such a sweet treat?
Steve Cumper is a chef and funnyman who lives in Tasmania and dreams of one day owning a fleet of holiday vans called Wicked Cumpers.
VEGAN & GLUTEN-FREE BEETROOT & CHOCOLATE CAKE
Serves 8–10
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
⅔ cup cooked beetroot puree 180g dairy-free chocolate, melted 2 cups almond meal
½ cup carob or cacao powder* ½ cup cornflour
1 teaspoon baking powder 1 beetroot, peeled, thinly sliced
ICING
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon agar-agar*
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dairy-free cocoa powder 250g silken tofu
VEGAN CREAM
400g can coconut cream 1 teaspoon agar-agar* 2 tablespoons caster sugar
Preheat oven to 160˚C. Grease and line a 22cm springform cake pan with baking paper. Whisk sugar and oil in a bowl until combined. Stir in beetroot puree and melted chocolate. Add almond meal, carob/cacao, cornflour and baking powder. Gently stir until combined. Pour into cake pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pan.
Meanwhile, line a large baking tray with baking paper. Spread beetroot slices over prepared tray and lightly spray with oil. Bake in oven with cake for 45 minutes or until crisp. Set aside on tray to cool completely.
To make icing, combine almond milk and agar-agar in a small saucepan. Place over a medium heat and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Add sugar, cocoa powder and tofu. Whisk until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool.
Place cake on a wire rack set over a baking tray. Pour icing over cake, top with beetroot slices and set aside to set.
To make vegan cream, combine coconut cream and agar-agar in a small saucepan. Add sugar and stir until well combined. Place over a medium heat and stir until mixture comes to boil. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 35 minutes or until set. Transfer to a small food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate. Serve cake with the cream. * Available at health-food stores.