Chocolate Beetroot and Salted Caramel Cake

Try this delcious recipe from the famous Little and Friday.

This flavour combination is sensational.

5 eggs

2½ cups caster sugar

300ml canola oil

250g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped

2 cups flour

1 cup good-quality cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

100ml milk

1 cup grated raw beetroot

3 cups Chocolate Ganache, to decorate

Salted Caramel

1½ cups caster sugar

300ml cream

½ tsp sea salt

Makes one 23cm triple-layer cake

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line three 23cm round cake tins with baking paper.

2. Using an electric mixer, whisk eggs and sugar on medium speed until mixture is pale and creamy and tripled in volume. With mixer on medium speed, slowly drizzle in oil and combine.

3. Melt chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add chocolate to egg mixture. Stir to combine.

4. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder into a bowl. Using a large metal spoon, fold a third of the dry ingredients into chocolate mixture. Add a third of the milk and combine. Continue in this way until all combined.

5. Fold grated beetroot through chocolate mixture.

6. Spoon mixture into prepared tins. Bake in centre of oven for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in tins before turning out.

7. To assemble, use a serrated knife to cut the domed tops off the cakes. Spread ½ cup Salted Caramel over the top of two cakes and stack to form one triple-layer cake Sandwiched together with caramel.

8. Spread a thick layer of Chocolate Ganache over top and sides of cake using a palette knife.

Salted Caramel

Makes 1½ cups

1. Place sugar in a small saucepan and just cover with water to achieve a wet-sand consistency.

2. Bring to the boil but do not stir. Using a wet pastry brush, remove any sugar crystals from sides of saucepan. Continue to boil until mixture turns amber. Remove from heat.

3. In a small saucepan, heat cream to boiling point. Gradually add to caramelised sugar, stirring constantly until smooth. This takes a while but eventually combines. Season with salt.

Chocolate Ganache

½ cup cream

200g good-quality dark chocolate, grated

Makes 1 cup

In a saucepan, heat cream to just below boiling point. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted and smooth. Allow to cool and thicken before using.

Kitchen Notes

The ganache can be made a day in advance and stored in a cool place. Do not refrigerate. You can increase this recipe by using the same ratio of cream to chocolate. For 2 cups use 1 cup cream and 400g chocolate. For 3 cups use 1½ cups cream and 600g chocolate. For 4 cups use 2 cups cream and 800g chocolate.

Also in our book club we have an interview with Kim Evans check it out here:

Meet Kim Evans, creator of Little and Friday.

  Recipes reproduced with permission from Little

   and Friday Celebrations by Kim Evans.

   Published by Penguin Group NZ. RRP$45.

   Copyright © Kim Evans, 2013.

   Copyright © Photography Tamara West, 2013