Chocolate and Beetroot Cake

2 cups SR flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 cup cocoa 2 tsp grated orange rind 1/4 cup orange juice 2 eggs 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup cooked grated beetroot 200g chocolate chips

Scrub clean and steam the beetroot. Leave to cool and then grate both skin as well as flesh. Mix SR flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa and set aside (dry mix). Beat  eggs and sugar together until fluffy. Add the oil, orange peel, juice and beetroot. Beat well. Stir in the dry ingredients, just enough to blend.  Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Turn into a prepared cake tin and bake at 180 degrees C for 40-45 minutes until done. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out to cool. Dust with icing sugar or ice with chocolate icing. Butternut Bake 1 medium size butternut squash 250ml single cream grated cheese (cheddar works well) yoghurt (optional) sprinkle of nutmeg Peel, seed and chop butternut rings into quarters (keep seeds aside to roast in salt and olive oil) Place squash in an ovenproof dish. Pour over the cream or  a 50/50 mix of cream and yoghurt. Sprinkle with nutmeg and cover with grated cheese. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 45 min or until butternut is cooked through and cheese has melted. Fruit Cake Ingredients 250g chopped dates 300ml water 85g plain flour 85g wholemeal flour 3tsp baking powder 1tsp ground mixed spice 50g ground almonds 500g dried mixed fruit 80ml orange juice Method 1. Boil up dates with water and then cool. 2. Sieve dry ingredients together - the flours, baking powder and mixed spice. 3. Add almonds, dried fruit, date mixture and juice. 4. Mix well. 5. Pour into greased baking tin and bake for 45 mins at 170 deg C. Christmas Ring Ingredients 50g butter 2Tbsp olive oil 1 large red onion, chopped 1 large leek, trimmed and finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, crushed 500g cooked, peeled chestnuts 225g fresh cranberries 140g millet flakes or bread crumbs 15g fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped 2Tbsp fresh thyme 2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary 3 medium eggs, beaten 550g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and grated (300g grated weight) 100g soft goats cheese (optional) Method 1. Line a 2-pint ring mould with baking parchment and brush with oil. Preheat oven. 2. Heat half the butter and 1Tbsp oil in a large frying pan; gently fry the onion; leeks and garlic until softened. Place the chestnuts in a food processor until most is finely chopped, but a few large pieces remain. 3. Transfer onion mixture to a mixing bowl. Return the pan to the heat and melt remaining butter and oil. Add the chestnuts and cook for 5 min until lightly browned. 4. Tip the chestnuts into the mixing bowl and stir in almost all the cranberries (saving some for decoration); the bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, rosemary, eggs, grated apple and plenty of seasoning. Mix well. Spoon half the mixture into the prepared mould, pressing it down with the back of a spoon. Dot with pieces of cheese, then cover with remaining mixture. 5. Bake for 40-45 min until lightly browned. Allow cooling in tin for 5 min. Loosen edges with a round bladed knife and turning out onto an oiled baking sheet. Discard baking parchment. 6. The ring can be refrigerated for up to 36 hours before its final baking. 7. On the day, preheat oven to 200°C. Bake for 40-45min. Remove from oven and slide onto a serving plate.