Ingredients – makes 12 individual cakes

For the red velvet cake:

• 125 g butter
• 125 g dark chocolate
• 250 g plain flour
• 250 g sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg
• 150 ml buttermilk
• 200 g cooked beetroot
• 75 ml boiling water
• 1 tablespoon red food colouring

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 90 g icing sugar
• 100 g butter, softened
• 300 g cream cheese

Method

Make the red velvet cake:

• Whizz the egg, buttermilk and cooked beetroot until smooth.
• Melt the butter and chocolate together and stir into the beetroot mixture.
• Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda in a large mixing bowl.
• Tip the mixed beetroot, food colouring and boiling water into the mixing bowl and stir well.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Pour the mixture in a 20×30 cm cake tin and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, put the cake on a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
• Once cooled, cut out 24 hearts (or divide into 24 squares).

Make the cream cheese frosting:

• Beat the butter and the cream cheese well with an electric mixer until very smooth.
• Sift in the icing sugar and fold into the cheese mixture until even.

Assemble the individual cakes:

• Cover half of the cut out hearts (or squares) with a layer of frosting, sandwich together with the remaining half.
• Pipe little dots of frosting on top of the cakes. Chill until needed.