Secret Ingredient Low Calorie Chocolate Cake

Putting beetroot in chocolate cake may sound like a really strange idea, but the beetroot in this recipe lends a little bit of sweetness and a lovely rich earthiness.

It also gives a hint of pink to an otherwise ‘normal looking’ chocolate cake, and it is better for you, especially if you are trying to lose weight and following a healthy eating plan like the 28 day weight loss challenge.

Beetroot also helps to keep the cake soft and moist and unbelievable delicious!!! It’s also an excellent way to get fussy children (or adults) to eat beetroot.

The beetroot flavour is very subtle – you wouldn’t know that the cake is packed with beetroot unless someone told you.

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Secret Ingredient Chocolate Cake

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Course

Desserts

Cuisine

Chocolate

Servings

serves

Ingredients

• 1 cup dark chocolate broken into pieces
• 1 cup brown sugar or we suggest using Natvia
• 3 eggs
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup self raising flour
• 1/4 cup wholemeal flour
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 100 ml coffee you could use 100ml hot cocoa made without milk if you don’t like coffee
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups raw beetroot peeled
• natural icing sugar to dust

Course Desserts Cuisine Chocolate Servings serves Ingredients 1 cup dark chocolate broken into pieces 1 cup brown sugar or we suggest using Natvia 3 eggs 4 tbsp maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup self raising flour 1/4 cup wholemeal flour 1/2 cup ground almonds 1/4 tsp table salt 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 100 ml coffee you could use 100ml hot cocoa made without milk if you don’t like coffee 2 tbsp olive oil 1 1/2 cups raw beetroot peeled natural icing sugar to dust

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 140C. Lightly grease a loose-bottomed 20cm cake tin using butter or oil, and dust with cocoa powder.
2. Place the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl. Suspend the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until no lumps remain.
3. Take the chocolate off the heat and then leave it to cool slightly. If the chocolate is too hot, it will scramble the eggs and so it’s best to cool it to prevent this from happening.
4. Beat the eggs with the sugar or Natvia using an electric mixer until pale, fluffy and combined. Add the vanilla extract and the maple syrup and beat until smooth for 1-2 minutes.
5. Gently fold the self-raising flour, plain flour, cocoa powder, salt, bicarbonate of soda and ground almonds into the egg mixture using a spatula until you have a smooth cake mixture.
6. Grate the raw beetroot using a fine grater, or you can finely chop it in a food processor. Once finely chopped, pat the beetroot using some kitchen paper to remove some of the moisture.
7. Add the beetroot, cooled chocolate, olive oil and coffee to the cake mixture. Fold into the cake mix using your spatula until completely mixed and incorporated.
8. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin, then place in the oven for an hour and a half. Cover the cake tin with foil and then bake for another half an hour.
9. Let the cake cool and then turn onto a cake rack to cool completely.
10. Dust with icing sugar (optional) to serve. You could also serve it with some fresh fruit (we love raspberries) and natural yoghurt.

Recipe Notes

Recipe serves 10 people at 235 calories per serving

Enjoy more family friendly chocolate treats with The Healthy Mummy 28 Day Weight Loss Challenges.