The ingredients in this Chocolate and Beetroot cake go perfectly together – go on give it a try!

Serves: 10 – 12

Ready in: 90 minutes

Ingredients

250g plain chocolate, broken up

3 large free-range eggs

200g light muscovado sugar

100ml sunflower oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g self-raising flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp baking powder

50g ground almonds

250g raw beetroot

Icing

150g plain chocolate

100g icing sugar

100g soured cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Using a 22cm round, loose-bottomed cake tin, grease and line the base with baking paper.

Place the plain chocolate in a bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water. Allow the chocolate to melt slowly until smooth, then set aside to cool.

Add the eggs, sugar and sunflower oil to a large mixing bowl and whisk together, using an electric hand whisk, for about 3 minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in vanilla extract, then sift over self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and gently fold in, together with the ground almonds.

Peel and grate the beetroot (we recommend wearing a pair of gloves to reduce the staining on your fingers), then squeeze out the excess liquid. Fold the beetroot into the mixture with the cooled chocolate, until thoroughly mixed.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour. Cover with foil if the cake browns too quickly. Test the cake by inserting a skewer into the centre to see if it comes out clean. Cool for a little while, then remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the icing, place the plain chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Allow to melt gently until smooth. Set aside to cool, then beat in the icing sugar and soured cream until you have a thick, creamy and spreadable icing. Spread it over the top and sides of the cooled cake and serve.

For other tasty beetroot recipes, take a look on the BBC good food website here.