Chocolate beetroot Turkish delight cake

For a plant-based sweet treat, try Katie White's chocolate beetroot cake with a guaranteed moist crumb. Slather with a pretty pink beetroot-dyed frosting and sprinkle with rose petals for the ultimate finish.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  6-8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 3 cups (750 ml) water
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup beetroot purée (see Note)
• 2 ½ cups vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp rose extract (see Note)
• 3 cups caster sugar
• 4 cups plain flour
• 1 ½ cups Dutch processed cocoa
• 5 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ cup vegan dark chocolate chips
• Edible rose buds or petals, to decorate

For the pink frosting

• 500 g vegan cream cheese or vegan butter
• 500 g icing sugar mixture
• ½ tbsp rose extract
• 3 tbsp beetroot juice (see Note)

Chilling time: at least 1 hour in total.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Line two 20 cm cake tins with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the water, vinegar, beetroot purée, oil and rose extract. In a second large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gently pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, mixing well until just combined, then divide between the prepared cake tins.
3. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool completely. Use a serrated knife to trim the domed tops of the cakes, then refrigerate until the cakes are completely chilled.
4. While the cakes are baking, make the frosting by combining the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand whisk to beat until smooth, thick and mousse-like in texture. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
5. When the cakes are completely cooled, spread the first cake with about a third of the frosting, then top with the second cake. Spread a thin layer of frosting around the cake (this is called a crumb coat), preventing loose crumbs from mixing into the exterior frosting of the cake. Refrigerate the crumb coat for 5-10 minutes to set, then spread the cake with the final coat of remaining frosting. Refrigerate to set.
6. When ready to serve, use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. Whisk gently to ensure the chocolate is smooth, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the cake from the fridge, then while the chocolate is still runny, pour it into the centre of the cake and slowly push it around to the edge, allowing drips to naturally cascade over the side.
7. Garnish with rose buds or petals to decorate, then serve.

Notes

• To make the beetroot purée, buy store-bought cooked beetroot, reserve cooked beet juices for the frosting and blitz the beetroot to a smooth purée in a blender or food processor.
• Rose extract is available at supermarkets.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.