• 250g icing sugar
• About 21⁄2 tbsp milk
• Reserved beetroot juice (from above)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Lightly oil a 23cm round springform cake tin and line with baking parchment.

2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Remove and leave to cool.

3. Coarsely grate the beetroot, then squeeze in your hands over a bowl, to extract the juice. Save it.

4. Beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla extract for three- ve minutes, until thick and foamy. Sift the flour, baking powder and cardamom together over the mixture. Fold in gently until almost combined, then fold in the chocolate and grated beetroot.

5. Spoon the mixture into the tin and spread gently to level. Bake on the middle oven shelf for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

6. Mix the icing sugar with enough milk and beetroot juice to make a thin, blush pink icing. Save the rest of the juice.

7. Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

8 Using a palette knife, spread the icing on top of the cake and let it drip over the edges. Dip a pastry brush into the remaining beetroot juice and ick it over the icing to create a random pattern. Slice the cake and serve.