Dear time-poor, choco-berry loving, health-conscious friends of mine.  Welcome to my absolute favourite cake in the world recipe.  Ok well maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration but this is a cake I have been enjoying a lot lately..

I’m always getting asked to bake cakes for occasions and time after time I will get a message later requesting the recipe..so here it is, the cake I have been making more of than anything else..it has a moreishly fudgey texture and a harmonious blend of cacao, beetroot and raspberries that all seem to give it a moistness like carrot cake and is so completely delicious.

You will need:

1 cup grated beetroot

1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries of your choice..i use raspberries but mixed berries works well also

1/2 cup little bare coconut cream

1 cup rice malt syrup (or 3/4 cup maple syrup or honey)

2 1/2 cups almond meal

4 eggs

1 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa)

1 1/2 t baking soda

pinch Himalayan sea salt

Ganache Ingredients:

1x 400ml can little bare coconut cream

either: 3/4 block of lindt 85% dark chocolate OR 1/3 cup cacao and 1/4 cup rice malt or pure maple syrup

pinch salt

To make:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius and grease and line a 22cm round cake tin.

Put all ingredients in whichever order into the food processor and turn on high until all well blended.

Pour into tin and smooth the batter out on top.

Bake approx 45 min

Leave to cool before turning out and icing..in fact this cake is better the next day..

Ganache: (if using dark chocolate) in a pot on the stove over medium heat, add all of the thick part of the can of little bare coconut cream, leave the little bit of water at the bottom.  Heat the coconut cream until it just starts to simmer.  Remove from heat and add 80 grams of dark chocolate broken into small pieces to the warm coconut milk with a pinch of sea salt and stir well for about 5 minutes until it has melted and blended altogether to make a smooth icing.  Leave to cool slightly before pouring over the cake.  This will set even if it is still runny when pouring. Top with fresh and freeze dried berries.

If you are using cacao and rice malt syrup, put the thick part of the coconut cream can and all of the other ingredients in a bowl and blend with the electric beaters until there are no lumps of coconut cream. Smooth this over the top of the cake. Top with fresh and freeze dried berries.

Rich and decadent and not overly sweet

xx. Lonnie

Photos: Ana Galloway @anagalloway