Beetroot Chocolate Cake

I borrowed a book from our Playcentre library called "Food for Funky Families - the playcentre kitchen book". Not sure we are a funky family but I've been feeling a bit blah with my usual baking, meals and lunchbox ideas so some new ideas were welcome. It's a great book with some yummy sounding recipes, including a selection of gluten free recipes and like any good Playcentre publication some recipes for play (finger paint, gloop and other messy fun stuff).

Tonight I tried "Gabrielle's Beetroot and Chocolate Chip Cake". I love love love the zucchini chocolate cake recipe I have so figured this would be similar in texture and a chocolate cake that has veges in it has to be healthy, right?

Happy to report this is YUM. Very moist with a rich chocolatey taste. The batter is burgundy but you can't really see the colour in the cooked cake (sadly), but you also can't tell there is beetroot in it at all which is good if you're at the hiding veges stage with the kids. I will definitely be making this again :)

Here's the recipe:

2C flour
1/2t salt
2t baking powder
1/4C cocoa

Mix dry ingreds and set aside.

2 eggs
1 C sugar
1/4C orange juice
2t grated orange rind (next time I'd put even more in I think)
1/2 C oil
1 C cooked, cooled and grated beetroot. (I didn't measure this, I just steamed 1 beetroot and grated it all, incl skin)

Beat eggs and sugar till fluffy then add other wet ingredients. Mixture is a pretty pink colour that had my kids very intrigued.

Mix wet and dry together until just mixed. Then add 200g choc chips and fold through.

Bake 180C for 45min. Yum!