Chocolate, Beet and Olive Oil Cake - Naturally Red Velvet!

This cake is good for your HEART and your SWEETHEART!! 

Make it with buttery extra virgin olive oil and beets to replace a bottle of red food colouring and it tastes like.....chocolate cake!! Crazy I know!

 You can top it simply with powdered sugar or a drizzle or even make it fancy with chocolate ganache (which is really just melted chocolate and whipping cream)

It can go from everyday to Valentine's Day with a bit of chocolate icing.

You will need:

• 225 grams/8 oz beetroot - cooked and grated/processed
• 100 grams - good quality dark chocolate
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla (pure never artificial cause that stuff is made from wood! look it up!)
• 1/4 cup hot coffee
• 4 eggs (separated)
• 1/2 cup good Extra Virgin Olive Oil - I used a mild and buttery Oltremonti from France
• 1 cup flour (all purpose)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 1: Use an 8 inch spring form pan. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and lock. Butter and flour pan and tap out any excess. Set aside.

Step 2: Boil or roast beets. I used 2 small beets and cooked for approximately 1 hour until tender. Run the beets under cold water until you can handle them and cut off tops and bottoms and  rub off the skins.(PS. if you are lazy they actually sell cooked beets in grocery stores now!) Weigh beets and grate them by hand or just put them in a food processor for a few seconds until they are coarsely pureed.

Step 3: Take a bowl and place over a pot with a few inches of water. Chop chocolate into pieces and place in bowl. Heat pot on medium heat until chocolate starts to melt.Add butter and stir once melted enough to combine.

 Step 4: Remove from heat and add sugar and vanilla and combine.

Step 5: Add hot coffee to chocolate and mix. Separate yolks and whites into 2 bowls. Add the yolks to the cooled chocolate and whisk in. (put the whites in another bowl and set aside) Add olive oil to chocolate and whisk until incorporated. Finally add beets and mix then set aside the wet ingredients.

Step 6: Whip egg whites until light and fluffy (few minutes) and they form stiff peaks.

Step 7: In another bowl  add dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. You can sift if your cocoa has lots of clumps or use a whisk to mix all dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to chocolate (wet ingredients) and stir to just combine with a wooden spoon.

Step 8: Fold in the egg whites until just incorporated and then pour into prepared pan.

Step 9: Bake 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean. Let cool 10 minutes then un-latch spring form pan and let cool completely.

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You can just top with a dusting of sugar or mix the powdered sugar with a few drops of juice or water to create a glaze or make a chocolate ganache icing (which is the simplest icing in my opinion and only has heated whipping cream poured over chocolate chunks and stir...TA DA!!)

and guess what!! it tastes like CHOCOLATE CAKE!!

Shut the front door!!