Wealden Times | WT188 | October 2017 | Kitchen & Bathroom supplement inside

Food
Red velvet beetroot cake
Serves 8-12 Prep time: 15 mins Cooking time: 25 mins
Beetroot has an earthy sweetness, but paired with chocolate and
cream cheese it brings depth and a perfect velvet texture to this
cake. This is a comfort cake with the added satisfaction of a healthy
vegetable thrown in - and no real need for red food colouring.
• 350g self raising flour, sifted
• 75g good quality cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 250g softened butter
• 275g sugar
• 4 eggs
• 125g finely grated, cooked beetroot
• 2 tbsps orange juice
• Red food colouring (optional)
For the cream cheese frosting:
• 300g cream cheese
• 75g softened butter
• 200g icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• Chocolate curls/hearts to decorate
1. Grease 3 sandwich tins for the 3 tier cake, or 2
(with more mixture in) for a two tier cake and
pre-heat the oven to gas 4 (180°C).
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light
and fluffy, then gradually add the eggs (add a bit
of flour if the mixture starts to curdle).
3. Stir in the other ingredients, pour into tins and bake for approx.
25 mins (depending on your oven – check after 20mins).
4. While the cake cools, beat together the frosting ingredients
and spread between the layers and over the top of the cake.
5. Decorate with chocolate if desired.
Alongside whipping up tasty, seasonal recipes for Wealden
Times using produce from her own garden, Jo Arnell runs
gardening workshops from her home in Woodchurch and
offers expert advice on garden design and planting. To
find out about her special Christmas workshop, and the
courses available in 2018, visit hornbrookmanor.co.uk.
149 wealdentimes.co.uk