Beetroot Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS:

_CAKE:

• 1 beetroot (approx 200g), plus an additional small beetroot for the beetroot heart toppings if desired
• 200g plain flour
• 100g Cocoa
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• 200ml oil
• 3 eggs 
• 120g Dark chocolate, grated
• 2 Tbsp milk 
• Zest 1 orange

_FROSTING:

• 100g Cream Cheese
• 20g butter
• 240g icing sugar 
• ½ Tbsp beetroot juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 185°C
2. Peel and chop the beetroot into quarters. Place into a pot of cold water, bring to the boil and cook until soft, approximately 20 minutes. 
3. Drain the beetroot and set aside to cool. Once cooled, grate the beetroot. Squeeze out the excess liquid from the beetroot into a bowl. Reserve ½ Tablespoon for the icing and save the rest of the juice to add to your next smoothie.
4. In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and mix. 
5. Add the eggs, oil and milk to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add in the grated beetroot, orange zest and grated chocolate. 
6. Transfer mixture to a lined loaf tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour, or until cake is slightly fudgy but firm to the touch on top.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool down. 
8. Once the cake is fully cooled, spread the icing over the top and garnish with love heart beetroots if you desire. 
9. To make the icing: In a bowl beat together the cream cheese and butter until soft. Pour in ½ Tablespoon of reserved beetroot juice. Sift in the icing sugar. Beat again until well combined. Place the icing into the fridge until ready to use.
10. To make the beetroot hearts: Peel the remaining beetroot and slice 5 thin slices. Using scissors or a sharp knife on a board, cut each slice into heart shapes. Drizzle with oil. Bake in the oven on a lined baking sheet for 25-30 minutes until dry and crispy.