Beetroot and Walnut cake
This recipe comes all the way from the Sun House in Galle on the south coast of Sri Lanka. I’ve adapted it slightly for our ingredients (dairy-free).
SERVES
10
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
20
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
50
MINUTES
Ingredients
3 free-range organic eggs
150ml sunflower oil
25g soft brown sugar
150g white or spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
100g beetroot, grated
60g sultanas
60g walnuts, coarsely chopped
For the icing:
175g icing sugar
zest of 1 lemon
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice to bind
To decorate:
deep-fried beetroot
toasted pumpkin seeds
Equipment:
1 loaf tin 13 x 20cm (5 x 8inch)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4. Line a loaf tin with a butter paper or baking parchment.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and sugar until smooth. Sift in the flour and baking powder, add a pinch of salt and gently mix into the egg mixture. Stir in the grated beetroot, sultanas and walnuts. Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Next, make the icing. Sieve the icing sugar, add the lemon juice gradually to a stiff but spreadable consistency. Spread evenly over the cake, allow to drizzle down the sides, leave for 5 minutes and scatter with deep-fried beetroot (see below) and pumpkin seeds and a little grated lemon zest.
To deep-fry beetroot, peel the outer skin off the beetroot. Using a peeler, slice thin rounds off the beetroot. Allow to dry on kitchen paper for 20 minutes. Deep-fry until crispy (no higher than 150°C/300°F). Dry on kitchen paper.
