It’s a new year, and with it usually, lots of New Year’s resolutions are being made. It’s that time of the year when we reflect about the past, make goals for the upcoming year, and decide which bad habits to let go off and what new routines to incorporate into our lives.
While I don’t necessarily think that too ambitious short-term resolutions are the way to go, I do like to set goals for the 12 months ahead. It helps me to channel my focus and energy, it guides my life in general and helps me to appreciate and celebrate my accomplishments. A year ago I went to a goal-setting workshop with Galina from Do Work You Love, and it turned out it had a significant impact on the outcome of my 2017. I would go that far to say that this blog would probably not exist had I not set this as a clear goal during the workshop.
When thinking about breaking bad habits, very often it has to do with food. People decide to eat less food or eat more of the healthy food that nourishes your body and makes you feel alive, energetic and happy. But there is also another aspect of food choices that I like to think about. And that’s the sustainability angle of it.
One of my goals for 2018 is to be more mindful of where food is coming from and make conscious decisions about what to eat when. Do we really need berries and mangos all year long? Or can we try to eat with the seasons just as our grandparents did who grew their own food in the backyard? I have to admit that I love my avocado toast and unfortunately there aren’t growing any avocados in Germany. But just as my general philosophy about nutrition, I am aiming to apply an 80:20 rule, trying to eat local food that’s in season whenever possible.
With that in mind, I was thinking about what to bake this week. I love to incorporate fruits and veggies into my cakes, but there is a minimal choice during the winter months (although you cannot really ever have enough apple pie). But there are alternatives. Like this rich and moist chocolate beetroot cake. Beetroots give the cake a moist texture and add pretty pink color to it. Together with the chocolate, this cake makes a wonderfully satisfying winter treat.
I can imagine that for some of you, it might seem weird to put vegetables in a cake (at least my dad was very suspicious), but it’s a fun and delicious way to incorporate more veggies into your diet. And we all love carrot cake, don’t we?
What are your goals for the New Year?
Love,
Marion
Do you love beetroots? Why not try this beetroot porridge?
Beetroot chocolate cake
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 125g wholegrain spelt flour
- 90g raw cane sugar
- 40g cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 organic eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 450g beetroot
- 100g dark chocolate (at least 60%)
- 150 ml virgin rapeseed oil
- For the ganache:
- 150 g dark chocolate (at least 60%)
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 50ml almond milk
- 1teaspoon maple syrup
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 240°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 2 Peel the beetroots and cut them into quarters, wrap them in parchment paper and bake them in the oven for about 45 minutes or until soft.
- Step 3 Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Step 4 Lower the temperature of the oven to 180°C. Grease a small baking pan (18cm in diameter).
- Step 5 In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, cacao, and baking powder.
- Step 6 In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and salt until fluffy.
- Step 7 When cooled, grind the beetroot – you can use a cheese grater or a blender.
- Step 8 Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan with simmering water.
- Step 9 Add the beetroot, chocolate, and rapeseed oil to the flour, and stir to combine. Fold in the egg mixture.
- Step 10 Pour the dough into the pan and bake the cake for 45 minutes.
- Step 11 Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and let cool completely.
- Step 12 For the ganache, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. Add coconut oil, almond milk, and maple syrup, and stir until it has an even and shiny consistency. Make sure the milk is at room temperature to prevent the chocolate from curdling.
- Step 13 Decorate with chopped chocolate and beetroot powder (optional).
