Ingredients:

180g caster sugar

3 eggs

180g plain flour

180g ground almonds

50g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

200ml sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g raw, peeled beetroot, finely grated

icing

170g icing sugar, sifted

2 tbsp water

¼ tsp cream of tartar

1 egg white

½ tsp vanilla extract

drop pink food colouring (opt.)

 Method:

• Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line the base.
• Heat the oven to 180C.
• Whisk eggs and sugar for 5 mins until light and fluffy.  Beat in rest of ingredients, except beetroot.
• Add flour, almonds, cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Beat to combine.
• Beat in sour cream and vanilla extract.
• Squeeze out excess liquid from the grated beetroot and fold into the mixture.
• Pour into the tin and bake for 50 mins.  Cool.
• Place all icing ingredients in a bowl on top of a pan of simmering water until sugar dissolves.
• Remove pan from heat and whisk on high speed until mixture forms stiff peaks.  Ice the cake.