Beetroot & Raspberry Cake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes (plus cooling time)
Cooking time: 40 minutes
- 165g/5.8ozs. softened butter
- 165g/5.8ozs. caster or superfine sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 200g/7ozs. cake flour
- 2 tablespoons beetroot powder
- 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
- Raspberry flavouring
- Magenta or purple food colouring
For filling and frosting
- 100g/3.5ozs. raspberry jam
- 125g/4ozs butter, softened
- 4 cups icing or confectioner's sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pink food colouring
- Rose petals and fresh raspberries for decoration
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F and line the base and sides of 2x11cm tins making sure to go a few inches above the sides. Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until white. Then add the eggs one at a time into the mixture making sure that they're combined well between additions.
Step 2 - Add in the food colouring, raspberry flavouring and then fold in the flour, beetroot powder and baking powder in and mix until just combined. Scoop into the prepared tins and bake for 40 minutes or until the centre when gently pressed does not sink and instead springs back. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes and remove from tin gently and then allow to cool on a cooling rack completely. Slice each cake into 2 or 3 slices horizontally.
Step 3 - While it cooling make the buttercream. Whisk the butter with the sugar on low speed until combined and then increase the speed and add in the milk, vanilla and pink and whip for 5 minutes. Place it in a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.
Step 4 - Spread jam onto one section of cake and then pipe round dabs around the centre and inside. Top with another section and repeat until all sections are used. Top with fresh rose petals and raspberries.