Mary Berry shares chocolate and beetroot cake recipe inspired by Prince Louis

Mary Berry shares with HELLO! her new royal recipe for beetroot and chocolate cake with feathered icing. Inspired by Prince Louis’s love of beetroot, Mary says: "I want to create a recipe with the young prince in mind."

Beetroot and Chocolate Cake with Feathered Icing 

Serves 12 people

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAKE

• 3 large eggs 
• 50g cocoa powder
• 150g self-raising flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 175g light muscovado sugar 
• 300ml sunflower oil 
• 225g raw beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated (approximately 2 medium beetroot). 

MORE: Mary Berry's classic Coffee and Walnut traybake recipe is the perfect winter indulgence

INGREDIENTS FOR THE ICING 

• 200g Bournville chocolate, broken into pieces
• 200ml pouring double cream
• 50g (2oz) white chocolate, chopped

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C/160CFan/Gas 4. You will need a 12 x 9 9nch traybake tin, greased and lined.
2. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the cocoa, flour, baking powder and sugar and stir a little. Gradually pour in the oil and beat with a wooden spoon and beat to combine to give a thick batter, once smooth stir in the grated beetroot.
3. Spoon into the tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes until risen and springy to the touch. Remove to cool before icing.
4. To make the icing, break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Pour in the cream, sit on lightly simmering water and stir until melted and is smooth and glossy, be sure not to overheat. Leave to cool a little so that it is a thick pouring consistency (this won’t take long depending on room temperature). Pour the icing over the cold cake, spreading out with a palette knife to cover the cake completely.
5. To decorate, melt the white chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of hot water. Place in a small piping bag, snip the end and pipe in lines down the cake, about 2cm apart. Using a cocktail stick, drag through the white chocolate in opposite directions across the cake to give a feathered effect. Cut in small squares and serve.

A Berry Royal Christmas airs on 16 December 2019 at 8.30pm on BBC One.