Hi! I’m interrupting this steady stream of nearly raw vegetable posts with cake – parsnip cake! Yes, parsnips are vegetables, I just realized that. But I promise you won’t even notice them in here. You will however experience a light, airy, delicate crumb texture that’s all thanks to the, you guessed it – parsnips! So this cake is pretty spiced up with holiday vibes – lots of ginger, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice (because I had it on hand I’m putting it in all the things, yes, even the savory ones). I had a minor freakout yesterday after realizing that Thanksgiving is like less than two weeks away. We’re going to be in the Atlanta area with Mark’s family. Everyone is bringing a dish and I have no idea what I’m making yet (totally taking suggestions, so leave those in the comments). A few years ago I brought a brussels sprout dish to one of our first thanksgivings together – it didn’t go over great with the meat and potato crowd. As much as I want to make it my mission to turn everyone into a brussels sprouts lover, Thanksgiving with the in-laws may not be the time or place for that. That said, there’s always a time and place for cake, right?! This one could even get away with being served for breakfast – it’s not too sweet and there’s veggies in there, remember? It’s also totally festive and delicious. For more seasonal baking recipe inspiration, plus lots of lovely recipes for everyday baking situations, checkout the Baking book by Food52!
Ingredients for the Spiced Parsnip Cake
Dry Ingredients:
2 cups flour, or gluten-free flour
1/2 cup almond meal flour
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon French four spice (I used pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon table salt
Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature (I used kefir)
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups shredded parsnips (about 3 parsnips)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 325º F with a rack near the center. Grease a 9- by 13-inch glass cake pan with butter or coconut oil. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk about 30 seconds to fully mix and aerate. Set aside. Combine the wet ingredients, excluding the parsnips, in a medium bowl. Whisk well to combine. The sugar should dissolve before proceeding to the next step. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until almost incorporated. The mixture will be pretty thick. Add the parsnips and stir until just incorporated. Pour into prepared cake pan, and bake until center springs back or a toothpick inserted near center come out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Make the glaze while the cake bakes. Remove to a cooling rack, pierce cake with a fork so that the glaze can soak in. Pour the glaze over the hot cake, trying not to let much glaze spill between the cake and the pan.
Browned Butter Maple Kefir Glaze
1/4 cup maple syrup (grade B preferred)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup kefir, room temperature
Directions
Brown the butter in a pan. On medium/high heat melt the butter in a small saucepan until brown, nutty and fragrant – about 5 minutes or so. Combine the maple syrup and browned butter in a glass and stir to combine. Allow to cool for several minutes, then whisk in the kefir.
Notes
This recipe is just slightly adapted from the Food52 baking book. The only substitutions I made was swapping the buttermilk for the kefir and the French four spice for the pumpkin pie spice. Oh and I browed the butter for the glaze, because, yum! I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
p.s. If you haven’t entered the All-Clad giveaway yet, now’s your last chance!