Fiona’s dairy free brownie - full of fab Mornington Peninsula ingredients - is rich and fudgy, chocolatey yet earthy with a hint of salt and touch of spice.

Makes a 20cm square cake

125ml (½ cup) Cape Schanck Olive Estate Extra Virgin Olive oil (suggest using Frantoio or Picual)

200g dark chocolate, 75% cocoa, roughly chopped

150g (¾ cup) brown sugar, or coconut sugar

3 Yokey Dokey XL eggs

100g (2/3 cups) Tuerong Farm Lancer Winter White stoneground flour

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

100g walnuts, roughly chopped

400g beetroot, peeled, coarsely grated to weigh 350g 

Raw cacao powder, or Dutch cocoa powder, for dusting

Preheat oven to 180°C.  Lightly grease and line a 20cm square cake with baking paper.

Place the oil and chocolate in a bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water, over a medium heat.  Stir to melt chocolate then remove from heat to cool.

Using electric beaters, mix sugar and eggs in a large bowl until creamy. Sift the flour, salt and cinnamon over the mixture.  Fold in the flour until just combined.  Fold in the cooled chocolate and oil mixture. Fold in the walnuts and beetroot to combine well. 

Pour mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of cake comes out with moist crumbs attached. 

Cool in tin.  Remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cut into 16 squares.  Dust with cocoa powder. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Fiona Hammond © November 2018