Things are a little unsettled here at the Shack in the Marshlands. Have been for a while. No one is sick, and there have been no disasters, don't worry about that. There's only so many months of herbal teas & Putting A Brave face On It before you have to come to your senses and get help. So tomorrow there will be a long talk with my doctor, and words like 'medication', 'tremors', 'therapist' & 'serotonin' will be used.
Until then, there is cake. This cake in particular is inspired by the untitled poem by Stephen Crane
- In the desert
- I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
- who, squatting upon the ground,
- Held his heart in his hands,
- And ate of it.
- I said, "Is it good, friend?"
- "It is bitter -- bitter," he answered;
- "But I like it
- Because it is bitter,
- And because it is my heart."
This isn't your regular chocolate cake. It's a damp cake, almost like a brownie. It isn't sweet & crumbly, but dense & firm to the tooth, with the earthiness of beetroot & the intense bitterness of cocoa.
200g raw beetroot, finely grated
3 eggs
150g demerara sugar
150g ground almonds
130g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
250ml yoghurt
2tsp baking powder
Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/G3. grease a springform cake tin & dust with a little cocoa powder.
Whisk the eggs & sugar in a large bowl until light & fluffy. Add the beetroot & yoghurt. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder & almonds. If the mix looks too dry add a splash of milk. scrape into the cake tin & spread out level. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean (albeit stained purple). this is a dense, fudgy cake, so don't expect it to rise much. Remove from oven & leave to cool a little before removing from the tin.
Serve with a dollop of cream, a splash of cream, or if you can find some, a scoop of peanut ice cream.
