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.
