Snow Day Bake Off - Parsnip Cake.

This is my post for the Snow Day Bake Off on A Slice Of Cherry Pie.

We have loads of snow here but are quite used to it.  Steve is managing to get to work in Aberdeen.  I have managed to get to my work too but I only work two days a week so the rest of the time the kids and I have stayed at home to keep cosy.  Some cooking and baking and making cosy dens out of chairs, duvets and loads of cushions has kept us busy.

So, I decided to make Parsnip Cake from the Riverford Farm Cook Book.

Recipe - 

Ingredients - 

250g unsalted butter, softened

250g caster sugar

4 medium eggs

250g self-raising flour, sifted

1 tsp ground mixed spice

175g toasted hazlenuts, finely chopped

250g peeled and finely grated parsnips

4 tbsp milk

For the topping - 

125g cream cheese

60g unsalted butter

250g icing sugar, sifted

60g toasted hazlenuts, roughly chopped

Method - 

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour with each one.

2. Fold in the remaining flour, plus the spice, nuts, parsnips and milk.

3. Use baking parchment to line a rectangular tin, roughly 28 X 18 cm.  Spoon in the mixture and place in the centre of an oven preheated to 180C/ GM 4.

4. Bake for 40-50 mins, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

5. Remove from oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

6. To make the topping, place the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat until soft.

7. Beat in enough icing sugar to give a thick consistency.

8. Spread the icing over the cake and scatter on the chopped hazlenuts.

9. Cut into squares or triangles to serve.

A nice, moist cake with a subtle but distinct flavour of parsnip.  A cake for Autumn really with the lovely nuttiness and officially it is still Autumn but really it is winter.  I like this cake and would probably make it again especially if I had parsnips to use up but I don't think it is quite as good as a sweet carrot cake.