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–+ servings
Parsnip Orange Spice Cake Recipe
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Parsnip Orange Spice Cake

Naturally sweet parsnips with orange, spices, oat and walnut flour for a better-than-carrot cake.
Course Cake
Cuisine American
Keyword Parsnip Orange Spice Cake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 6 servings

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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