Have A Healthy Heartbreak by Nicola

The breakup has hit hard, sh*t just got real… and it sucks. It might have been for the best, maybe there’s just no going back, or you might not know for sure yet. Either way the heartache is strong and your insides are twisting.

Before you reach for your favourite trio of Ben, Jerry and Bridget Jones, why not focus on you and only you? The worst is over and now is the time start anew. What better way to do that than with a delicious recipe for healthier baking?! Of course, we all love (and sometimes need) butter, sugar, chocolate and more chocolate. Although, in times like these, we can really benefit from food pleasure that doesn’t pay. This cake gives you the chocolate element in lashings and misses out other naughty ingredients, giving you a healthier heartbreak.

Indulge in every moist, rich bite of this earthy and delightfully chocolaty dessert cake that’s a little bit good for you too. The mixture is butter free, has no added sugar and the beetroot, dates, dark chocolate and nuts are full of antioxidants for a spoonful of de-stressing optimism. Just what you need when you have the choice to do things for you now.

CHOCOLATE BEETROOT CAKE

INGREDIENTS

370g of raw whole beetroots

300g of dates

60g of sultanas

180ml of boiling water

180g of dark chocolate

180g of Greek yoghurt

4 medium eggs, beaten

1 tbsp of honey

125g of plain flour

80g of cocoa powder

1tsp of baking powder

100g of ground almonds

175ml of sunflower oil

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to 190C, grease and line a 20cm spring form cake tin.

2. Use foil to wrap the beetroots whole and bake them in the oven for 1 hour, then remove the skins with a knife and set aside to cool.

3. In a pan, simmer the dates and sultanas in the water for 8 minutes, then leave to cool.

4. Blitz the cooled beetroot in a food processor with the yoghurt.

5. Add the date mixture and blend until well combined.

6. Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and then thoroughly mix in the eggs and honey.

7. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over lightly simmering water, then stir in the oil.

8. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and ground almonds into a large ceramic mixing bowl.

9. Add the date mixture and the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and use a large metal spoon to gently fold everything together.

10. Spoon into the cake tin and level off with a spatula.

11. Bake for 45 - 55 minutes, until the cake is almost set but still looks moist.

12. Leave on a cooling rack for 15 minutes and enjoy warm, or cool completely, cut in half and enjoy filled with thick yoghurt.

(Adapted from Nadia Lim’s recipe on bite.co.nz)

Nicola is a writer living in Bristol. You can find her over on her blog www.threadpressed.com, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Find more posts by Nicola here...