LINGONBERRY AND BEETROOT CHOCOLATE CAKE

I like to cut the sweetness of my desserts with grown-up flavours like earthy beetroot, which gives a deep, juicy tone to this chocolatey take on your usual commercial red velvet cake

INGREDIENTS

80g coconut oil, plus extra for greasing • 200g beetroot, peeled and chopped • 8 dried Medjool dates, soaked, drained and pitted • 180ml milk • 2 tbsp lemon juice •

2 tsp vanilla extract • 225g spelt flour • 40g raw cacao powder or cocoa powder

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 tsp baking powder •

¾ tsp salt, or to taste • 150g

coconut sugar • 3 medium

organic eggs

For the cream: 200g raw cashew nuts, soaked and drained • 100ml cashew milk • 50ml agave syrup • 2 tbsp

raw cacao or cocoa powder

• 1 tsp vanilla extract • pinch of salt, to taste For the glaze: 100ml coconut milk • 2 tbsp lingonberry powder • 70ml agave syrup • 2 tsp vanilla extract • 100ml coconut oil

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 20cm round cake tin with coconut oil and line with greaseproof paper.

2. Put the beetroot, dates, milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a food processor and blend until smooth. Sift together the flour, cacao or cocoa, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

3. Using a handheld electric mixer or a balloon whisk, beat together the coconut oil and coconut sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.

4. Combine the beetroot mixture, flour mixture and coconut oil mixture by adding a small quantity at a time of each to a separate large mixing bowl (our apologies to the washer-upper) while beating constantly.

5. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hr or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.

6. To make the chocolate cashew butter cream, blend all the ingredients until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for up to two days.

7. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by blending all the ingredients (except the coconut oil) in a processor until smooth. Gradually add the coconut oil, blending until the mixture is smooth.

8. To assemble, remove the cake from its tin and peel away the lining paper, then place on a serving platter. Halve the cake carefully. Using a flat spatula, spread the cashew butter cream evenly over the base cake. Gently place the other half on top and drizzle with the icing. Have a piece of that.