Beetroot Cake

Ingredients

• 625 ml all-purpose flour
• 10 ml baking powder
• 7 ml bicarbonate of soda
• 15 ml mixed spice
• 5 ml salt
• 375 ml Sugar
• 315 ml sunflower oil
• 4 large eggs
• 500 ml peeled and grated beetroots
• 250 ml chopped pecan nuts
• 65 ml apricot jam

cream cheese ICING

• 500 g cream cheese
• 85 ml icing sugar, sifted
• 10 ml grated orange rind

TOPPING

• 375 ml Sugar
• 315 ml water
• 3 medium beetroots, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190 °C.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and salt twice.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat Sugar, oil and eggs.
4. Add beetroot, nuts and jam and mix well.
5. Sift in flour mixture and mix well.
6. Pour into a greased deep 20 cm diameter baking pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean.
7. Cool slightly in pan, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Spread thickly with icing and decorate with candied beetroot topping.
9. Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
10. Fold in icing sugar and gently mix in orange peel.
11. Place 250 ml (1 cup) each of the Sugar and water in a saucepan.
12. Bring to the boil.
13. Add beetroot and reduce heat to moderate.
14. Boil for 25 minutes.
15. Remove beetroot slices.
16. Combine remaining Sugar and water in another saucepan and boil until Sugar dissolves.
17. Transfer beetroot to this mixture and cool.
18. Store beetroot in syrup in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.