Chocolate beetroot cupcakes with whipped milk-chocolate ganache

• Preheat oven to 170°C. Arrange 12-16 paper cupcake cases inside muffin tins.
• Place chocolate and cocoa in a bowl. Melt butter in a small pot then pour onto chocolate and cocoa. Mix until chocolate has melted and mixture is well combined.
• In a large bowl (or cake mixer), whisk eggs and caster sugar until thickened to custard consistency. Add melted chocolate mixture and stir until combined.
• Sift the flour and baking soda into a medium bowl. Add one-third of this to the chocolate mixture and whisk until well combined. Then add one-third of the buttermilk and whisk well again. Repeat until you have no flour or buttermilk remaining.
• Gently fold through the grated beetroot, stirring until just combined. Spoon mixture into the cupcake cases. Bake for about 18 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the whipped ganache, gently heat cream and chocolate in a bowl in the microwave or on the stove for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, until you have a smooth, silky ganache. Leave in the fridge to cool for about 1 hour. Once cold, use an electric beater to whip the ganache with the vanilla until smooth, fluffy and pale, much like a chocolate mousse (about 2 minutes).
• Use a knife to top cupcakes with the whipped ganache. Decorate as desired.

Shopping tip

• – Dutch-process cocoa powder can be found at specialty stores or some supermarkets and will give you an intense chocolate flavour and colour. If you can’t source Dutch-process cocoa powder, use regular cocoa powder.