penny's kitchen turns one!

plus a chocolate beetroot cake to celebrate

penny’s kitchen turns one today!!

one year and almost 100 posts of recipes, experiments, and endless testing

thank you to anyone and everyone who has read my posts, made a recipe, suggested an experiment, or taken extra baked goods off my hands!

this one is for you

this is a chocolate cake for people who ‘don’t like chocolate cake’ - it’s not too sweet, a little earthy from the beetroot, super moist and sits under a layer of unsweetened yoghurt topping (and candied beetroots, for some flair!)

ingredients

chocolate beetroot cake

1 egg

65g caster sugar

60g brown sugar

65g extra virgin olive oil

75g greek yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla paste

30g cocoa powder

80g plain flour

0.5 tsp baking soda

15mL (half a shot) hot espresso

one small (about 85g) beetroot, raw, grated

candied beetroots

50g white sugar

50g water

half a small beetroot

whipped yoghurt topping

60mL whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla paste

2 tbsp greek yoghurt

method

preheat the oven to 180°C

line a 15cm cake tin with baking paper

whisk together the egg (1), caster sugar (60g), and brown sugar (65g) until pale and fluffy

stream in the olive oil (65g), yoghurt (75g) and vanilla (1 tsp) and whisk to combine

sift over the cocoa powder (30g), flour (80g), baking soda (0.5 tsp), grated beetroot (85g) and espresso (half a shot) and fold together until just combined

pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean

let cool completely before decorating

candied beetroot

add the sugar (50g) and water (50g) to a small saucepan over high heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely, then reduce the heat to low

with a mandoline (or sharp knife) cut thin slices of the beetroot

add the beetroot slices to the sugar syrup and cook gently over low heat for about 20-25 minutes

let the beetroot slices cool completely in the syrup

transfer the candied beetroot slices to a wire rack to dry

whipped yoghurt topping

whip the cream (60mL) to soft peaks

fold in the vanilla (1 tsp) and yoghurt (2 tbsp)

assembly

dollop the whipped yoghurt topping on top of the cooled cake and spread to the edges

arrange the candied beet slices on top

thank you all again for the love and support

xox penny