If I'd known you were coming I'd have baked a cake

Yesterday we had our Make Change Happen exhibition and never one to pass up an opportunity to cultivate my baking skills, I thought it an ideal event to try a recipe for parsnip cake.

I first heard of parsnip cake from a Swedish bakery in Edinburgh. I haven't tried it myself (I just cannot resist a cardomom bun instead) however those who have tried it have -without fail- raved about it. So when I needed an exciting seasonal cake recipe to lure in the crowds to our MCH stall parsnip cake seemed the ideal choice. I made over 40 pieces of cake which were gone before we knew it. It appears parsnip cake is universally loved!

I just a recipe adapted from the epicurious blog. Personally I thought their icing quantities were slightly ridiculous (also I had run out of powdered sugarso had to improvise...).

Its a perfectly moist and spicy cake to see in the Christmas season and one cake easily feed 12-16 people (or one Bruce Bogtrotter). Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the Cake

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 tbls ground ginger
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 kernal grated nutmeg

3/4 tsp ground cloves
3 large eggs
120 ml vegetable oil
120 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium sized parsnips (shredded)
1/2 cup walnuts

For the icing:
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
100g of cream cheese
15g of butter
1/4 tsp vanilla
about 1/2 a thumb of finely grated fresh ginger

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and line the bottom and grease and flour the sides of an average sized cake tin
  
• Then toast the walnuts in a hot oven for about 5 minutes (watch carefully, they might burn). Then put them in a teatowel and bash with a rolling pin until they are in small pieces (or use a gin bottle if no rolling pin is avaliable)
• Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, spices & sugar in a bowl
• In another bowl whisk the eggs, oil, vanilla and milk
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix thoroughly (although try and not over stir for you want to keep in quite airy)
• Then add your grated parsnips and walnuts
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean
• Meanwhile make the icing by whisking the cream cheese and butter (at room temperature) until the mix is somewhat runny (unlike the carrot cake recipe!)
• Then add the powdered sugar, the vanilla and the grated ginger. Mix thoroughly.
• Once the cake is cool, drizzle the icing over the top.