This cake recipe is ideal for Easter weekend. Putting beetroot into a chocolate cake might seem strange but, like apple or carrot, it keeps the cake moist and gives a rich flavour. Worth trying.

Ingredients:

– 175g wholemeal spelt flour or fine wholemeal flour
– 55g cacao powder
– 1½ tsp baking powder
– Sea salt
– 300g cooked beetroot
– 3 free range eggs
– 120g sunflower oil
– 200g maple syrup, clear honey or agave syrup
– 1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
– 5 tbsp ricotta cheese, or whipped cream, or Greek yoghurt
– 2 tbsp maple syrup, clear honey, or agave syrup
– Grated rind of 1 medium orange

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas 4, 180C, 350F. Lightly oil a 20 cm round or square cake tin. Dust the oiled tin with flour. Shake off any excess flour.
2. Sift flour, cacao powder, baking powder and a pinch of sea salt into a bowl. Peel the cooked beetroot and blend in a food processor or with a hand blender until smooth.
3. Whisk the eggs, maple syrup, sunflower oil and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Whisk in the blended beetroot and the mixed flour.
4. Spoon into the prepared baking tin and spread out until smooth. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Check with a skewer to see if it is cooked through.
5. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out onto a cooling tray to cool thoroughly.
6. Mix the ricotta cheese, (or whipped cream, or Greek yoghurt if using), maple syrup and orange rind. Spread generously over the top of the cooled cake and serve.

Blazing Salads Food Co. on Drury Street, Dublin 2 was opened in 2000 by Lorraine and Pamela Fitzmaurice and their brother Joe to bring quality take out vegetarian/vegan wholefood to the city centre. The origins of their knowledge of wholefoods comes from an upbringing of macrobiotics.

Blazing Salads 42 Drury Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. www.blazingsalads.com