Beetroot and sultana cake is a flavoursome moist stand out summer cake. It is lovely paired with a scoop of ice cream or two in hot summer days.
Beetroot in a cake you ask? Yes it may sound strange, but it works! We are so accustomed to enjoying beetroot in salads but not cakes. Why not experiment though? Boiled beetroot has a sweet taste and adds a lovely colour and moisture in cakes. Beetroots are packed with vitamins and nutrients and are low in calories.
My grandmother grew beetroot in her garden and thus this beetroot and sultana cake was a summer must in our household. Leftover cooked beetroots were combined with sultanas to create this flavoursome cake. It was also a way to hide these nutritious vegetables in a colourful cake.
My grandmother’s recipe is a stress-free one and uses cooked beetroot so there is no need to waste time grating raw beetroot. Make sure though you get your hands on good quality plain cooked beetroot. The cake will not work with pickled beetroots, so please check before adding onto the cake.
The ingredients are very simple and basic to all cakes such as flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla with the addition of cooked beetroots and sultanas.
When adding the cooked beetroot the cake mixture will gain this lovely vibrant colour. Who baked the cake will adopt a warmer brown hue to it.
Ideas:
- Soak the sultanas in enough cognac to add a spicy fruity taste in the cake. Remember alcohol evaporates quickly when baked so the cognac taste will be slight.
