Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g raw beetroots, coarsely grated
• 75ml buttermilk
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g caster sugar
• 250g plain flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs

For the Icing:

• 100g unsalted butter, softened
• 350g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 175g full-fat cream cheese

Method:

Prepare the Cake..

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment. In a food processor, whiz the grated beetroot, buttermilk, vinegar and vanilla to a pulpy purée. Add butter, sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and eggs and continue mixing to combine.

Time to bake..

1. Pour mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 1hr-1hr 10min or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in tin for 30min, then remove from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.

Now the icing..

1. 1. When cool, make the icing. In a freestanding mixer or using a handheld electric whisk,  beat the butter, half the icing sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until completely smooth (go slowly at first to avoid a cloud of icing sugar). Add the remaining icing sugar and the cream cheese and beat until just combined (do not overmix or icing may become too loose).

Assemble your cake..

1. 1. Finally, slice the cooled cake in half horizontally; reserve crumbs. Use half the icing to sandwich the cake halves back together, then top with remaining icing and sprinkle with crumbs.