The chocolate cake that will trick your kids into eating their veg

Every household tends to have a go-to family cake; this is ours, which we enjoy many times throughout the year, even when there are no celebrations.

Lennox Hastie’s rich and healthful beetroot cake. Photo: Nikki To

Since the late 18th century beetroot have been harvested as a rich source of natural sugar, which has dramatically altered the world’s reliance on sugarcane. There’s a certain alchemy that occurs when beetroot meets chocolate, transforming simple cocoa into something profound and decadent. This beautiful cake marries the earthiness of beetroot with the richness of chocolate, resulting in a sweet treat that surprises and delights. The nutty sweetness of the beetroot complements the dark, bitter notes of the cocoa, creating a cake that’s moist, complex and utterly indulgent. Every household tends to have a go-to family cake; this is ours, which we enjoy many times throughout the year, even when there are no celebrations. It is as delicious as it is simple, and if you want a lighter style it can also be made with grated carrots. It is also a great way to get kids to eat vegetables – while my son will turn his nose up at a plate of beetroot, he will happily devour a beetroot chocolate cake. I love to steal a slice while it’s still slightly warm from the oven, the dark chocolate pieces oozing into the rich interior.

For a different take on beetroot, try my roast beetroot and goat’s cheese salad.

Beets are the candy of the vegetable world. Photo: Nikki To

Sweet beets. Try this luxe beetroot cake by chef Lennox Hastie. Photo: Nikki To

Ingredients

• 80g brown sugar

• 60ml olive oil

• 125ml liquid coconut oil
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 125ml golden syrup
• 210g plain flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 800g beetroot (1 large or 2 medium), grated

• Zest of 1 orange

• 150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 150C.
Line an 8-inch (20cm) cake tin with baking paper. In a bowl whisk the sugar, oils, eggs and golden syrup.
Into a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate, cinnamon and ginger.

2. Gradually stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture until well combined. Stir in the grated beetroot and the orange zest.

3. Stir in the chocolate pieces.
Transfer to a cake tin. Bake for 1 hour, then test with a skewer to check; it should only have melted chocolate on it. Remove cake and allow to cool on a rack.
4. This recipe also works well for cupcakes; if making those, reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes.