Almond Orange Cake with Poached Pears
A moist almond and orange cake topped with tender poached pears and flaked almonds—perfect for sharing over tea.
Decadent Beetroot Chocolate Cake
Decadent Beetroot Chocolate Cake delivers reliable flavour and texture with a method that is straightforward to follow at home. The recipe is designed to plate up cleanly and look appealing, so the finished dessert feels as good visually as it tastes.
Serve with a simple garnish that suits the bake — for example fruit, cream, or a light dusting/ drizzle where appropriate — and adjust sweetness or spice to preference. It also works well as a make-ahead option for gatherings.
Method
20m40m1h
- Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease and line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper.
- Melt the dark chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, then cool slightly.
- Whisk the eggs and caster sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
- Fold in the melted chocolate mixture, then stir in the grated beetroot.
- Sift in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and sea salt, then fold gently until combined.
- Pour into the tin and bake for 35–40 minutes until set with a slight wobble in the centre.
- Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- For icing, heat the cream until steaming, pour over chopped dark chocolate, stand for 2 minutes, then stir smooth.
- Spread icing over the cooled cake. Decorate with melted white chocolate if using and leave to set before slicing.
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs large
- 180g Plain Flour
- 250g Cooked Beetroot finely grated
- 180g Unsalted butter diced
- 200g Dark Chocolate chopped
- 30g White chocolate melted, optional decoration
- 0.25 tsp Sea Salt
- 40g Cocoa powder
- 1.5 tsp Baking powder
- 250g Caster Sugar
- 150ml Double cream for icing
Notes
Use vacuum-packed cooked beetroot (not pickled) for speed and consistent texture.
The flavour improves after a few hours, so this cake is excellent made ahead.
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