Move over carrot cake because this naturally sweet parsnip orange spice cake recipe with oat and walnut flour, is about to take your place.
Why We Love Parsnips In A Cake More Than Carrots
Parsnips are not white carrots, though like carrots, they have a sweet earthy flavor that makes either of them perfect for desserts.
The parsnip, however, has a unique subtle spice undertone that resembles fennel or licorice.
When making a savory parsnip puree, we found once parsnip is cooked, it purees into a creamier texture than its cousin the carrot.
Root Vegetables Make Delicious Desserts
This delicious cake recipe is not the first nor the last time you will find me making desserts with root vegetables.
I didn’t grow up eating parsnips, however when I tried parsnips for the first time, I found they had a whole lot more flavor, when cooked, than carrots.
Beetroots were also something I never had fresh when growing up, only picked beets in a jar, so naturally I never thought to use them in desserts.
Then I grew up, began growing lots of veggies in my garden which became a great way for me to experiment with new ways to cook what I could grow; something you might enjoy in my cookbook Dirt To Dish.
More Root Vegetable Dessert Recipes To Love
- Beet Ice Cream – Garden Inspired Beetroot Ice Cream, naturally sweet and earthy beetroots, cooked and pureed, whirled into a creamy, sweet, rich unusual Ice Cream.
- Carrot Ginger Scones – A cross between a cookie and a cake, gently sweetened and perfect for snacks or a light dessert.
- Beetroot Cake – Sugar Beet Cake recipe is a moist, earthy, naturally sweet, colorful cake that is a front-runner to carrot, pumpkin and zucchini!
The Perfect Parsnip Spice Cake Recipe For Autumn
There are often two colors that are most associated with autumn, orange and yellow, and since the parsnip has no color using either orange zest or lemon zest adds a bit more zing to the parsnip flavor and color.
Once parsnips are baked in a cake batter they turn a beige color, so I thought it the perfect opportunity to grind nuts into flour and use them in the flour mixture.
Healthier Cake Ingredients
To add more of a rustic texture to this parsnip cake, I chose to use spelt and oat flour instead of plain flour, which I am not a huge fan of.
The texture of the flour blends, the warm flavor of the spices and the zing of orange zest makes for a perfect cake to serve without icing for afternoon tea.
Or, by all means spread a little sweetened cream cheese, an optional recipe I have provided in the recipe card.
Loaf Cakes or Round Cake Tins?
The density of this cake, from the textured flour choices, makes it perfect for a loaf cake, though a round cake pan works just as well.
I’ve done both because sometimes I like this cake without heavy icing, cut into squares, and served for afternoon tea with a drizzle of maple syrup.
It makes the perfect finger cake, not to mention quite healthy too, with olive oil, oats, walnuts and parsnips!
How To Make Our Parsnip Spice Cake Recipe
Once the parsnips are peeled and shredded, something I prefer to do with the food processor attachment, but a box grater works fine too, the batter comes together quickly.
- Measure out the flours and spice ingredients and set them aside.
- Whisk the sugar into the eggs along with the olive oil, fresh ginger and orange juice.
- Stir in the grated parsnips along with the dry ingredients and drizzle a little milk to bring the batter together.
- Into the pan of choice I like to brush a little oil and dust with spelt flour for easy removal.
- Once baked the cake is ready to serve as simple afternoon tea cakes, or a lavish sweetened cream cheese mixture can be spread on top of the cake, or pipe out onto individual slices of the cake. An optional garnish of grated orange rinds and candied parsnip strips, that have been wound around a chopstick, can be placed on top.
Equipment Needed
- Food processor to shred the parsnips and crush the walnuts and oats into flour. A box grater can also be used the shred the parsnips and a blender to crush the nuts and oats.
- A stand mixer, hand mixer or a hand whisk can be used to obtain a creamy cake batter.
- Measuring cup and spoons.
- Using a loaf pan for a rustic looking cake, or a removable bottom round pan for a finished cake with icing, is your choice since both produce a lovely cake.
- The use of a basting brush to oil the pan and again to brush a sweet glaze over the freshing baked cake.
Ingredients Needed For This Parsnip Cake
- Spelt flour – my pantry is never without spelt flour!
- Oat flour – my pantry is also never without oat flour, either grind it yourself, or purchase it already ground.
- Walnut flour – nut flour is a great way to cut back on wheat flour in all baking recipes. Grind yourself or purchase it already ground for you.
- Baking soda and powder
- A spice blend of cinnamon, mace, cloves and preferably freshly grated ginger.
- Raw sugar or brown sugar for the cake batter and icing sugar should you choose to make the cream cheese topping.
- Parsnips, about 2 large or 3 small, peeled and shredded.
- Eggs, set out room temperature.
- Whole milk or coconut milk if you prefer non-dairy.
- Orange zest and the juice from the orange.
- An optional glaze and topping is given in the recipe card.
Parsnip Orange Spice Cake
Equipment
- Food processor
- loaf or round pan
- Mixer or whisk
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Spelt flour
- 3/4 cup Oat flour crushed rolled oats
- 1/4 cup Walnut flour crushed walnuts
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Mace
- 1/4 tsp Cloves
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Raw sugar or brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Olive oil, extra for pan or sunflower oil
- 1/4 cup Whole milk
- 1 tbsp Freshly grated ginger
- 4 Eggs
- 1 1/2 cup Parsnips (2 medium) peeled and grated
- 1 tbsp Orange zest extra for garnish
- 1/4 cup Orange juice
- Drizzle Optional
- 1/4 cup Honey, maple syrup or agave
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tbsp Rum or Bourbon
- Toppings Optional
- 4 oz Cream cheese softened
- 2 tbsp Icing sugar
- Candied Parsnip Garnish Optional
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Rum or Bourbon
- 1/4 cup Parsnip strips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil and flour a 9 inch springform pan, removable bottom pan or a loaf pan. For easy removal, place a strip of parchment paper across the inside of the prepared pan of choice, using the paper has handles to lift out easily after baked.
- To prepare the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the spelt and oat flour with crushed walnut flour, cinnamon, mace, cardamom, baking powder/soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer or food processor, whisk together the olive oil, sugar and freshly grated stem ginger, which has a brighter flavor than powdered ginger. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix to combine. Stir in the grated parsnip, orange rind and milk. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until you have a smooth batter, not too wet and not too dry. You want a thick batter yet still pourable. Adjust the batter if needed with a bit more orange juice or spelt flour. Do not over mix the batter.
- Spoon the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Check with a skewer to see if it comes out clean, or until the internal temperature is 200 degrees. If using a drizzle, whisk the drizzle ingredients together, drizzle across the cake while hot, and brush it into the crevices of the cake to soak in. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely.
- To prepare optional toppings Candied parsnips – melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the sugar and allow it to melt while stirring. Add the parsnip strips and bourbon, gently stir the strips in the caramelized mixture. Remove the strips and wrap each around a chopstick to make into a small spiral topping, set aside to cool.Cream cheese – whisk together the cream cheese and icing sugar in a small bowl. It can then be spread across the cake once it has cooled with a sprinkle of orange zest. The same can be done and placed as a dollop on top of slices on the serving plate, with orange zest and a spiral of candied parsnips.
- Store any cake that hasn't been iced in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
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