A delicious chocolate cake can be made in so many different ways, from a layered sponge to a brownie-like traybake.
While most recipes share similar ingredients – such as cocoa powder and rich chocolate chunks – Mary Berry has a more unique take on this classic bake, using beetroot to garner extra flavour.
Branded as a superfood by many for its nutritional value, the colourful vegetable is naturally sweet and juicy, plus it costs just 75p in Waitrose.
Sharing the recipe in her cookbook, A Berry Royal Christmas, Mary described the cake as “beautifully moist” and “sweet”, thanks to the addition of grated beetroot.
She said: “It’s topped with a chocolate feathered icing – which looks impressive but is so easy to do.”
Method
Start by preheating the oven to 180C/160CFan/Gas 4, then grease and line a 30x23cm/12x9in baking tin with greaseproof paper.
Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl then sieve in the cocoa, flour, baking powder and sugar. Stir a little using a wooden spoon, taking care not to overdo it, then gradually mix in the oil and beat until combined to give a thick batter.
Peel and coarsely grate the beetroot before folding it into the bowl full of cake mixture. When smooth with no lumps, spoon the contents of the bowl into the prepared tin and bake for about 35 minutes, or until risen and springy to the touch.
Remove the sponge from the oven and set aside to cool before icing. To make the icing, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
Pour in the cream and then place the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the water.
Stir the ingredients together until the chocolate is melted, and the icing smooth and glossy. Leave the bowl to cool a little so that it has a thick pouring consistency.
Pour the icing over the cold cake and spread it out to cover the top of the cake completely. To decorate, melt the white chocolate using the same method as the cream and chocolate mixture.
Mary recommended piping it through a small piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle or a small food bag with a tiny corner snipped off. Squeeze onto the iced cake in parallel lines about 2cm apart.
Feather the icing using a cocktail stick by dragging it through the white chocolate in opposite directions across the cake. Allow the chocolate to set a little before cutting it into 12 small squares.
