Beet and berry spice cake

Tam West

This recipe was created to match the Red Peak flag design in the 2016 New Zealand Flag Referendum in 2016. Warren says: "This new red devil of a treat is inspired by carrot cake. Redolent in earthy undertones of beetroot and spice and reaching for the sky with zingy overtones of berry. It’s a unique cake that makes a statement."

Ingredients

1 ½ cups	Self raising flour
2 Tbsp	Cocoa powder (Main)
1 tsp	Baking soda
1 tsp	Chinese five spice
1 tsp	Ground mace
½ tsp	Ground cardamom
75 g	Fresh pecans, finely ground, or use walnuts or almonds (Main)
3 large	Eggs
1 cup	Caster sugar
2 large	Beetroot, peeled and grated (Main)
30 g	Dried raspberry powder (Main)
1 tsp	Pure vanilla extract
1	Lemon, zest and juice
½ cup	Buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Fold and incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet.
2. Whisk buttermilk with the juice of the lemon and fold into the batter. Pour into a baking paper lined springform cake tin, and bake for 50-60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from tin and cool.
3. To serve: Make acream cheese icinglike this one and fold freshly whipped cream into it. Fill the cake and serve with a blackberry and blueberry compote.

More of Warren's flag-inspired Kiwi dishes

• Rolled roasted lamb loin
• Coconut and licorice icream cake
• Kiwi fish burger
• Kiwi kumara and mussel fritters