Ingredients

• 250g dark / bittersweet chocolate, plus 150g for the topping
  3 eggs
  250g light muscovado sugar
  1 tsp LittlePod vanilla paste or 1 vanilla pod
  7 tbsp clear honey
  2 tsp LittlePod chocolate extract
  30g self-raising flour
  ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  ¼ tsp salt
  50g ground almonds
  300g raw beetroot, peeled and finely grated
  2 tbsp sunflower oil
  1 tsp LittlePod coffee extract (optional)
  1 tsp LittlePod vanilla extract

Method

Cake:

1. Cut a wide strip of baking paper and tie it around the outside of a greased 20cm cake pan, making a collar that rises 10cm above the top.
2. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water and heat gently until melted. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, vanilla paste (or seeds from the vanilla pod), 4 tbsp of honey and chocolate extract for three minutes until pale and fluffy. Fold in the flours, bicarbonate of soda, salt and almonds.
4. Drain any excess liquid from the grated beetroot, then fold it into the cake mixture with a spatula, followed by the cooled chocolate and sunflower oil, until completely combined.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 90 minutes. If a knife or skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, the cake is cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.