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.

The Carrot Cake Contains... "No Nuts".

I am hugely loathed to post this recipe (as it always meets with rave reviews) however, for the greater goal of sustainable seasonal food (and because its not really my recipe in the first place) I will overcome my selfish reluctance and share this gem of a cake.

The recipe was originally entitled "Jenny's Carrot Cake" and comes from the excellent Abel and Cole's Seasonal Cook Book. Unusually (for a carroty type cake) the "Jenny" recipe contained "no nuts" however, whilst my own interpretation does use walnut oil, this can be substituted for sunflower or another flavourless oil.

THE Carrot Cake

Cake Ingredients:
185g sugar
180ml walnut oil
2 eggs
150g self-raising flour*
75g raisins
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
butter for greasing

Icing Ingredients:
175g cream cheese
175g butter at room temperature
250g icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
cinnamon for decoration

• Preheat the oven to 180°C
  
• Grease an 8 inch cake tin ( basically a medium sized tin- loaf or circular) and line with greaseproof paper on the bottom and butter on the sides
  
• Beat sugar, oil and eggs together until a little lighter in colour and well mixed
• Sift the flour and gradually add to the mix, beating all the time.
• Add the baking power, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon.
  
• Add the raisins (lightly coating them in flour first will stop them sinking to the bottom) and the carrots and stir gently until combined.
• Pour into the cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for around 30-40 minutes until a cake skewer comes out clean (use a piece of uncooked spaghetti if you don't own a skewer)
• Let the cake cool before tackling the icing

• Beat the butter and cream cheese until combined (but not for too long or it will become very runny - if this does happen return to the fridge to cool a little).
• Then sieve in the icing sugar and beat until combined well.
  
• Add your vanilla essence and start to spread liberally over the top of your cake.
• Sprinkle about 1 tsp of cinnamon over the cake (which handily disguises any surreptitious lumpy bits in the icing).

(if you have any left-over icing it also tastes particularly brilliant sandwiched between 2 Breton crackers, yum yum)

• Invite over some friends, put the kettle on, dig in!!!

*To make self-raising flour I generally remove 1 tsp of flour per 100g and replace with 1 tsp of baking powder and a pinch of salt. There are more scientific methods but this seems to work just fine.

Absolutely Awesome Apple Pie

(Source: applepierecipe.org)

(Makes enough for one double crust or two single 23cm pies)

For flakiest crust, make sure all ingredients including the flour are cold

Ingredients:

• 6 dL. all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2.4 dL. unsalted butter/margarine
• 0.6 dL. iced water (or clean snow!!)

Combine flour and salt, and add butter/margarine. Add iced water slowly. Test it - if it is too crumbly add more water - one tablespoon at a time

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface. Divide in half and place each on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Pie Filling:

• 1.8 dL. sugar
• 0.6 dL. all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 cups apples (approximately 6 apples)
• 2 tablespoons butter/margarine

Preheat oven to 205 degrees Celsius. Mix dry ingredients, add apples

Put into pastry lined dish. Dot with butter. Cover with crust. Add slits in flower shape on top of the pie. Add foil around the edges of the pie during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Cook for approximately 40-50 minutes. Enjoy!!