Recipe - Red Velvet Cupcakes

You'll need

• 1 beetroot (from 200gm - 300 gm range works)
• 60 gm dark cooking chocolate
• 60 gm milk cooking chocolate
• 200 gm butter, grated
• 100 gm caster sugar
• 4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 tsp red food colouring (or more if you'd like really intense colour)
• 150 gm (1 cup) plain flour
• 25 gm (¼ cup) Dutch-process cocoa
• 2 tsp baking powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C
2. If the beetroot is fresh, cook beetroot in a saucepan of boiling water until tender (40 minutes to 1 hour), then set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel. Or skip this stage and use a Love Beets beetroot (give it a good rinse and soak for 5 mins)
3. Transfer beetroot to a food processor and blend to a smooth purée
4. Melt chocolate - either by cooking on 1 on induction, or in a bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly
5. Meanwhile, beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until pale and creamy, then add yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition
6. Add beetroot purée and food colouring, sieve flour, cocoa and baking powder over and fold to combine
7. Add chocolate
8. Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl to soft peaks, then fold into chocolate mixture. 
9. Spoon into a 12-cup muffin tray lined with paper cases and bake until an inserted skewer withdraws clean (20-25 minutes). 
10. Set aside to cool.
11. I served mine with cream cheese icing and shaved chocolate

Recipe - Lamington Butter Cake

This would have to be one of the simplest, quickest and tastiest cakes you could make! Even a novice will nail it.

Ingredients - Cake

·         125g Butter or Margarine

·         ¾ cup caster sugar

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         2 eggs

·         2 cups self-raising flour

·         ½ cup milk

Ingredients - Icing

·         1 cup icing sugar

·         I tbsp coco powder

·         1 tsp butter

·         Desiccated coconut

Method - Cake

·         Preheat oven to 180

·         Cream butter, sugar and vanilla till light and fluffy

·         Beat eggs slightly then add to butter mixture. Beat to combine

·         Sift flour and fold into mixture alternately with milk. Beat well

·         Fold into square tin (that’s lined with baking paper)

·         bake for ½ hour

·         Test to see if cooked by pricking with skewer. If it comes out clean then cake is cooked

·         Let cool slightly then turn out onto wire rack to cool

·         Ice only when cool

Method - Icing

·         Sift dry ingredients

·         Add butter

·         Mix to paste with boiling water – a little at a time i.e. start with a tablespoon

·         Sprinkle liberally with coconut whilst icing is still wet