1 cup (170 g) finely grated red beetroot
Zest of two navel oranges
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1.1 cup (250 g) vegetable oil
1 cup (200 g) Baker’s sugar
3/8 cup (85 g) dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
2-1/4 cup (280 g) unbleached AP flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup (80 g) roasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup (60 g) crystallized ginger, chopped
1/2 cup (100 g) golden sultanas

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Add oil, sugars, zest, spices, and eggs into a bowl, and mix by hand or with a mixer. Add flour, baking soda, beetroot, crystallized ginger, sultanas and walnuts to batter, and mix until combined.

Transfer to two 8’’ cake pans lined with parchment. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 208°F.

Cool and remove from tins and then spread with blackcurrant jam. Frost with Molasses Buttercream. Have fun decorating it different ways! (I used molasses for the cake on the left and Lyle’s Golden syrup for the cake on the right). You can also play with tinting your vegetable flowers with edible gold paint.

Molasses Buttercream
4 egg whites
1-1/2 cups (300 g) Baker’s sugar (fine)
1-3/4 cups (400 g) unsalted butter, softened
2 T vanilla extract
1/2 tsp table salt
Just under 1/2 cup (100 g) cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp cinnamon
4 T Grandma’s molasses or Lyle’s Golden Syrup (note the difference in the color of the buttercream in photos above)

Add egg whites and sugar to a large heatproof bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water, ensuring the bowl base does not touch the water.

Whisk until sugar is dissolved, test this by rubbing some between your fingers, and once you can no longer feel any sugar granules, remove from heat.

Transfer to a stand mixer/electric mixer and whip until stiff peaks form (7-10 minutes) and the meringue has cooled to room temperature.

Add softened butter in cubes, then salt, molasses and vanilla. Whip for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Do not worry if your buttercream looks curdled or soupy after adding the butter. Keep mixing and it will come back together.

Mix in the cream cheese in BY HAND gently with a rubber spatula. Do not overmix. (Overmixing cream cheese will cause the buttercream to split, and unfortunately, it will not be salvageable (believe me I tried), or just feel free to leave out the cream cheese if you want to play it safe!)

Black Currant Orange Jam
(or use quality store-bought jam like Bonne Maman)

4 cups fresh black currants, washed, dried and stems removed
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 T lemon juice

Add the black currants to a deep pot along with the sugar and lemon juice. Stir to combine and turn the heat to high, stirring every now and then until the mixture starts to bubble and become hot. Use a potato masher to mash the currants until they begin to fall apart. When the mixture begins to boil, continue to stir every 30 seconds or so.

Continue boiling as the temperature climbs and don’t let it stop boiling until it reaches 220 ° F (for low altitudes) or 210° F (for high altitudes). This should take about 8 minutes or so.

Once the correct temperature is reached, remove the pot from the heat and carefully spoon the jam into two mason jars. The jam might seem a little bit liquid at this stage – don’t worry! It will thicken as it cools.

Add the lids to the jars and allow to cool at room temperature until completely cool.  Store in the fridge and enjoy!

Use the proper water-bath canning process to create a shelf stable version of this recipe, if desired. The recipe, as it is, is a refrigerator jam.

Vegetable Flowers for Decoration
Choose from a variety of root vegetables, such as purple or golden beets, carrots, and parsnips. Consider using different colors for a varied, vibrant display. Peel your vegetables and use a mandolin or spiralizer to slice them very thinly. A mandolin is best for round vegetables like beetroot, while a spiralizer works well for carrots and parsnips.

Make a simple syrup with a 1:2 ratio of sugar to water. For example, 200g of sugar and 400 g of water. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. If you are using red beetroot, use a separate saucepan for it to prevent the color from bleeding into your other vegetables.

You will need a mandolin or spiralizer to get very thin, even slices. Toothpicks are used to hold the flowers in shape. 

Add the vegetable slices to the simmering syrup and boil for about 10 minutes to soften them.

Shape the flowers.

Carefully remove the softened slices from the syrup and let them cool for a few minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Fold the slices into petal or flower shapes and secure them with toothpicks. You can also use a greased muffin tin to hold larger flowers while they set.

Once shaped, dehydrate the flowers. Bake 250° F for 2 hours, or until they are dry and firm. (The white parsnip flowers will need less time). They will continue to crisp up as they cool.

Once the flowers are dehydrated and cooled, remove the toothpicks and arrange the vegetable flowers on your frosted cake. The candied petals can be layered or clustered for a striking effect. 

Adapted from a recipe by Sumayah Kazi, Great British Bake Off, Season 12