Beetroot is one of my favourite vegetables! Not only does it taste great, it’s so versatile to use in cooking and is packed with essential nutrients. A great source of fibre, folate, potassium, iron and vitamin C, this powerful root vegetable has been shown to support improved blood flow, exercise performance, digestive health, immunity and lower blood pressure.
I love to use beets in baking because their beautiful red colour is a natural food colouring! This recipe for beetroot cashew cake is a staple in my household – it’s gluten free, dairy free, uses natural sugar and is extremely moreish! I challenge you to bake this and have it last more than a couple of days!
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized beetroots, grated and squeezed lightly
- 4 free range large eggs
- 4 cups cashew nuts* (grind them into fine powder)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup melted organic coconut oil
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/2 cup finely grated jaggery**
*I like to use cashew nuts as I find it makes the cake very moist. However, you can substitute with any other nut flour of your choice.
**Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifuged cane sugar. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap, without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in colour.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C
- Separate egg yolks and beat them along with soft jaggery for 4 minutes
- Add coconut oil to the mixture and combine
- Add beetroot and cardamom and combine
- Add cashew flour and mix it through
- Beat egg whites and fold into the cake mixture gently
- You can always add more cashew flour if the mixture feels too wet
- Now your cake is ready to be baked for 40-45 minutes
- Check if baked with a thin skewer or a toothpick, it should come out of the cake clean if it’s ready.
by Jyotsana Karl
