So, this cake lasted a day at the house. It got a much better reception than I anticipated, and though I’m still trying to be gluten free, I did try a nibble. Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised it all vanished, it’s cake. And not just a cake, one with warm spices, sweet, roasted parsnips and a dusting of powdered sugar.
All season, I’ve been wanting to use parsnips in some way other than roasting them and gobbling them up. They are so good roasted that this cake almost didn’t get made because I couldn’t keep my fingers out of the pan. I really should have bought quite a few more but hindsight is 20/20; next time.
I’ve noticed that my store has really mega parsnips, and I read somewhere once that parsnips can be quite tough when they’re big. They have a tough core in the middle that is chewy and fibrous. This is one of the reasons that parsnips have made such a late appearance in my kitchen. I didn’t want to pay $2 a pound and then throw away half of them. Last week, finally, they had some medium sized parsnips and I jumped on them so I could make this cake.
I still removed the core even though the parsnips were pretty tender, and I recommend it because even after roasting, the core tends to get stringy. Even though you’ll be pureeing it, you don’t want strands of fibre in the tender cake.
My original idea was to make this like a carrot cake using shredded parsnips but knowing how sweet they get when roasted, I decided to make it like a pumpkin cake instead. I didn’t want to interfere too much with the flavour of the parsnip so I didn’t add things like raisins, nuts or pineapple like a carrot cake. I don’t like raisins in my food or baked goods, I’m weird I know. I will pick them out! I only tolerate them in couscous and Arabic/Indian rice.
This Roasted Parsnip Cake didn’t need anything. It ended up being just wonderful plain with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. We’re not big frosting eaters at home, and I usually never frost my cakes. We will have warm custard poured over some of our puddings or maybe ice cream on the side, but usually never frosting.
I’m sure if you’d like, a cream cheese frosting would go quite well with this cake, but I think a dusting of sugar is all it needs. And one way to have it look pretty and not frost it, is to use a bundt pan; instant decoration.
Calories:3005
Fat:141g
A roasted parsnip and warm spices bundt cake.
Ingredients
- 1 cup/235g roasted parsnip puree (5/6 medium size)
- 1⅓ cups/200g all purpose/plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup/200g soft brown cane sugar, packed
- 3 eggs, large and organic
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup/60ml sour cream/yoghurt
- ½ cup/118ml oil, neutral flavoured
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C
- Grease or spray an 8 cup bundt pan.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and keep aside.
- Peel the parsnips and quarter lengthways and remove the core.
- Chop into medium pieces and place in roasting tin with a smidgen of oil.
- Place in the oven and bake until soft, about 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool and try not to eat them all.
- Puree them in a food processor.
- Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, or by hand, beat the eggs and sugar together.
- Add the parsnip puree, the oil, the sour cream and the spices.
- Blend slowly till a batter forms.
- Add the flour mixture.
- Mix gently until well incorporated, use the mixer for a few turns then finish off with a spatula by hand.
- Pour batter into the greased bundt pan.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 40-45 minutes.
- Check to see if golden and risen, use a toothpick to see if the cake has set.
- Let cool on a rack.
- When completely cooled, turn over the bundt pan remove gently.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
*High Altitude Bakers: omit the ¼ teaspoon baking soda. I made this cake with just 2 teaspoons baking powder and it rose beautifully. The sour cream in the cake will also give a little more acidic batter and that will help set the cake also.
I hope your week has started off productive and well. It seems however, in Texas a little bit of cold weather has bought that State to a stand still! My friends in Texas have been posting FB statuses about “snow days”, we had snow for two days straight and below freezing temperatures and still had to take our kids to school! I find it all very amusing; until it’s morning time when I’m cursing under my breath as to why we don’t have snow days for a bit of ice!
