Has chef ever had a beetroot cake? If so how would he make one?

Terri Swan, Keswick

USING vegetables in cakes has moved on a long way from just the humble carrot - I've seen parsnip cake, courgette cake and beetroot cake in recent years. Beetroot is normally paired with chocolate for a super rich cake but for something a bit different, I'm mixing with spices and seeds. Sift together 225g self-raising flour, half a tsp bi-carbonate of soda, 1 tsp baking powder and half a tsp ground cinnamon. Mix 180ml sunflower oil with 225g muscovado sugar, then slowly mix through 3 egg yolks. Coarsely grate 150g raw beetroot, fold through egg mixture, add juice of half a lemon, 75g sultanas and 75g mixed seeds. Add the flour and raising agents, mixing slowly. Whisk the 3 remaining egg whites until stiff, then fold through the cake mix. Pour into a 20cm loaf tin, lined with baking parchment. Bake at 180C for about 45 minutes. Cover with a piece of foil if it starts getting too dark before it is cooked. Check with a skewer for correct cooking. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the tin. Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche.