Okay guys, I am really losing hope in the ‘not-so-naughty’ category of The Great New Zealand Baking Book by now. This is the fifth recipe I’ve made from that section in the book and the fourth one that sucked (in my opinion, the only recipe that hasn’t sucked so far is the caramel nut butter biscuits recipe. They weren’t amazing biscuits, but at least they didn’t suck).

This beetroot chocolate loaf cake is gluten free and dairy free. But those are the least of its problems. The cake has no added sugar. It has date syrup; however, in my opinion this is not enough. It definitely needs sugar.

Also, the recipe says to cook the cake for 30-40 minutes, but mine took 1 hour to cook. I think this is because the mixture is too wet (thanks to the large amount of grated beetroot + small amount of dry ingredients).

There are 17 recipes left in the ‘not-so-naughty’ category. Wish me luck.

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Pre-heat the oven to 170°C. Line a 20 cm x 10 cm loaf tin with baking paper.

Place the beetroot in a microwave-proof plate or bowl, cover and microwave on high for about 15 minutes until tender (recipe says 6 – 8 minutes but it look a little longer than that).

Set aside for 3–5 minutes, until cool enough to handle, and then grate (use gloves to protect your hands from staining).

To make the date syrup, combine 1 cup of dates and 1 cup of water in a pot and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then cool.

Place the cooled mixture in a blender or food processor or stick mixer and purée until smooth.

Combine the grated beetroot, eggs and oil (recipe calls for 1/8 cup, this is roughly 2 tablespoons. I used sunflower oil) in a large bowl and beat together.

Add the date syrup, vanilla, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix until well combined.

Add the cocoa, ground almonds and coconut flour and stir through until well combined.

Pour into the prepared tin.

Bake for around 1 hour until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin before turning out.

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Beetroot Chocolate Cake

From The Great New Zealand Baking Book, copyright © Niki Bezzant from Healthy Food Guide

Servings: 4 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 40-50 mins | Skill level: 1 (easy)

Ingredients

• 3 large beetroots (enough to make 3 cups when grated)
• 4 eggs
• 1/8 cup oil (we use grapeseed)
• ¾ cup date syrup (see tip adjacent)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ cup good-quality cocoa powder
• ¼ cup ground almonds
• ¼ cup coconut flour

[DF] [GF]

Method

Pre-heat oven to 170°C. Line a 20 cm x 10 cm loaf tin with baking paper.

Place beetroot in a microwave-proof bowl, cover and microwave on high for 6–8 minutes until tender. Set aside for 3–5 minutes, until cool enough to handle, then grate (use gloves to protect hands from staining).

Combine beetroot, eggs and oil in a large bowl and beat together using a hand-mixer. Add date syrup, vanilla, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Beat until well combined and smooth. Add cocoa, almonds and coconut flour and stir through until well combined.

Pour into prepared tin. Bake for 30–40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin before turning out.

Tip

To make date syrup, combine 1 cup of dates and 1 cup of water in a pot and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then cool. Place cooled mixture in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Use in place of sugar or syrup, in roughly similar weights. This syrup can be stored in the fridge or freezer.

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