I know what you’re thinking… but trust me: chocolate and beetroot are a great combination.
The beetroot have done well this year. We have grown three varieties: Bettolo, Chioggia and Burpees Golden. I’ve used the classic vivid purple Bettolo for this recipe.
I sowed the seeds directly in the soil in April and we started eating thinned out baby beetroot by early July. It’s December now and there are still some great looking roots ready for harvesting. It’s such a good vegetable: takes up very little room and crops from summer right through until winter. Again I have tried to keep the sugar content down in this recipe but if you need more of a fix then add chocolate chips for extra naughtiness.
- 2 eggs
- 140ml milk
- 70ml sunflower oil
- 250g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 75g cocoa powder
- 140g caster sugar
- 250g peeled raw beetroot
- 12 muffin cases in a muffin tin
Heat oven to 200C, gas mark 6. Combine the eggs, milk and oil in a jug. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder in a mixing bowl and add the sugar. Grate the beetroot then lay it out on half of an opened out J-cloth. Fold the cloth over the beetroot then roll it up loosely and blot the juice into the cloth. Unwrap and shake the grated beetroot into the flour mixture. Pour in the egg mixture and fold in gently – do not over mix.
Fill the muffin cases two thirds full and cook for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
