Gluten-Free Chocolate Beetroot Cake (Recipe)

Beetroot in a cake? Yes, you read that correctly. It works a treat, making these gluten-free cakes more rich and moist. This is a must-try recipe with no hidden nasties. Just Mother Nature’s finest ingredients!

Beetroots are a great source of nutrients, including vitamins B3, B6 and C and beta-carotene, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and iron. They are perfect for assisting your liver and gall bladder in breaking down toxins. And in this case, make the perfect addition to a chocolate cake.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup of coconut oil
• ½ cup organic maple syrup
• ¾ cup raw cacao
  
• 1 medium raw beetroot, peeled and finely chopped in the food processor (approx 3/4 cup)
• 2 cups almond meal
• 3 eggs (beaten in a separate small bowl)
• 3 tbsp coconut palm sugar
• 3 tsp gluten-free baking powder

Method

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cake tin with greaseproof paper.
2. Peel and quarter the beetroot and pulse in a food processor until it's finely chopped (it will resemble a sloppy beetroot dip).  Then add coconut oil, maple syrup, cacao & beetroot into a saucepan on really low heat and stir for a couple of minutes until all combined and it resembles a smooth chocolate sauce.
3. Mix together the almond meal, coconut palm sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl until combined.  Then add the beaten eggs and chocolate/beetroot mix to the bowl and stir until completely combined.
4. Pour the mix into the lined cake tin and pop in in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until cooked through.  Leave to cool before removing from tin.

Notes

If you don’t have a food processor, you could finely grate the beetroot instead.

We used a standard 20cm/8 inch round cake tin but you can use a 9 inch, square or even muffin tins. The mixture cooks quite well in any!

OPTIONAL CHOCOLATE ICING INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup of organic dark chocolate (broken into pieces)
• ¼ cup of organic coconut cream

Method

1. Melt chocolate in a saucepan on very low heat.
2. Once it’s melted, remove from the heat and pour in coconut cream and beat until combined.
3. Leave to cool for a few minutes then continue to beat until it's smooth and glossy.

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