Elixir Eats: Beatitude Brownie Cake.

naturalelixir
Feb 5, 2016
3 min read

BEATITUDE: (Be*at*i*tude) a state of upmost bliss | supreme blessedness & happiness.

We've been all about beets recently and couldn't resist getting creative in the kitchen! We thought we would kind follow on from our topic of heart health, with a food that is really benefiicial for maintaining a healthy heart. We didn't mention this particular vegetable in our last post, because we wanted to save it for its very own. If it isn’t obvious yet, we’re all about the BEETROOT!

Beetroots are a root vegetable which grow underground like potatoes, parsnips and carrots. They contain a beautifying compound called Betalains which increases glutathione production, this is a nutrient that stimulates liver cell function. A healthy liver means healthy detoxification, which will keep our blood healthy, our heart happy and our whole body in tip top condition. They also contain:

Vitamins A and C for bright skin and healthy cell renewal.
Vitamin K for healthy blood clotting, helping your body to not bruise so easily.
Beta-carotene which converts to vitamin A and protects against sun damage.
Lycopene is needed for strong UV defence.

We like beets in juices, smoothies, soups, dips, brownies, chocolate and even natural beauty. So all in all, this juicy red vegetable is bursting with really essential nutrients that you really don't want to miss out. We feel like beetroots are another one of those forgotten about foods, it's very easy to get hung up on keeping everything absolutely green! Don’t get us wrong, lots of green is FANTASTIC, however it is really important to remember to add lots of colour and variety to your meals for optimum balance and nutrition.

Because we have such a sweet tooth at Elixir, we wanted to sneak our vegetables into a dessert! In this recipe we have juicy beetroots, sweet coconut and creamy cashew butter in a velvety sweet potato base! Sweet potatoes are a nutritious power house of Beta-carotene, which is a skin loving antioxidant pigment. They also contain a high complex of Vitamins A, B’s and C, all of which are needed for collagen production, smooth skin, bright eyes and really healthy hair and nails. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, which can naturally help beat pesky sugar cravings. As this heavenly root veg is an unrefined carb, you’re sure to feel more than satisfied with a slice of this brownie cake, which will keep you energised, full of fibre and well nourished!

Want to know how to make this warming ooey gooey goodness?

Ingredients

2-3 (approx 625g) sweet potatoes

1 cup ground almonds

1 cup buckwheat flour

2-3 (approx 200g) cooked beetroots

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

20 medjool dates

4 tbsp raw cacao powder

pinch of himalayan salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp mixed spice

2 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp beetroot powder

pinch of mild chilli flakes

1 tsp rooibos matcha powder - optional

50 ml melted coconut oil

3 tbsp cahsew butter for swirling

makes 1 seriously gooey brownie cake.

Prep

You will need a good food processor and a lined tin!

Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees.

How we did it

1. Bake your sweet potatoes in their skins at 200 degrees, for roughly 1 hour. Prod them with a knife to check that they are soft and cooked all the way through. Baking the sweet potatoes helps give them a really rich, caramelised flavour, yum! Set them aside to cool down for at least half an hour.

2. Pop your dry ingredients, so ground almonds, buckwhear flour, coconut, cacao powder, salt and spices into the food processor and blitz so they are mixed together.

3. Scoop the sweet potato flesh out of its skin into the mixture. The sweet potato should have cooled down after about half an hour, they are extremely hot when you get them out the oven, we don’t want you burning your fingers now. Discard the skins or… if you like them, eat them! They are FULL of fibre and really nutritious snack!

4. Add the beetroot and continue to whizz everything up until you have a gorgeously gooey brownie mixture, adding the dates gradually.

5. Pour the chocolately gloop into a baking tin. You can use a square tin for traditional square brownies, but we decided to use a circular cake tin to make a brownie 'cake'.

6. This is the fun part swirl in the cashew butter, distributing evenly with a fork so there will be a bit of nut buttery lusciousness in every bite!

7. Place into the oven for 20-25 minutes on 180 degrees, it should have a nice crispy surface.

8. Bring out the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes, decorate away however you wish, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, goji berries or even extra chilli flakes would work really well.

Slice & Serve!