Parsnip Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Pepper and parsnips in a dessert? This warm spicy cake is nothing more than a variation on carrot cake and the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting is more than just sweet — it has deep and nutty flavor.
- Servings Makes one 8-inch cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- Oil or butter, for greasing pan
- 237 ml (1 cup) flour
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground ginger
- 3.6 ml (¾ teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- 3.6 ml (¾ teaspoon) ground cloves
- 1.2 ml (¼ teaspoon) mace or nutmeg
- 2 grinds of black pepper
- 2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) salt
- 7.5 ml (1½ teaspoons) baking powder
- 177 ml (¾ cup) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 156 ml (⅔ cup) vegetable oil
- 473 ml (2 cups) grated parsnips
- 59 ml (¼ cup) chopped walnuts, toasted*
Frosting:
- 113 grams (¼ pound) unsalted butter
- 227 grams (8 ounces) cream cheese
- 2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) salt
- 237 ml (1 cup) powdered sugar
*To toast the walnuts, warm them in a 177° C (350° F) oven for 7 to 10 minutes, until you can smell their fragrance.
Preparation
Grease a 20 cm (8-inch) round baking pan, line with a sheet of wax or parchment paper cut to fit, and set aside.
Mix the flour, spices, salt, and baking powder to blend. Set aside.
Using a stand or hand-held mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and vegetable oil until smooth and blended.
Mix in the flour mixture, parsnips, and walnuts, until just blended and no spots of flour are visible. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 177° C (350° F).
While the cake is baking, make the frosting. Melt the butter over medium heat, until it foams, the solids begin to separate, and it takes on a light brown color and a nutty aroma. Keep an eye out, it can burn quickly. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Using a stand or hand-held mixer, beat the cream cheese until soft. Keep beating and blend in the salt, sugar, and the brown butter, including the solids. Beat until smooth and blended.
To assemble the cake, let it cool in the pan for five minutes, then unmold it to cool completely. Once the cake has cooled, split it into two layers and spread the frosting between the layers.
Claudia Kousoulas and Ellen Letourneau
Claudia Kousoulas worked as a planner in Montgomery County for more than 20 years. She is also a freelance writer whose work covers architecture, design, cooking and culinary history. You can see her work at Appetite for Books.
Ellen Letourneau is an event planner creating festivals, dinners, photo safaris, fundraisers and other happenings to help non-profits expand their outreach and people to celebrate life. She is also an amateur weaver and bread maker. She can be reached at d.ellen.letourneau@gmail.com.
Photo credit: George Kousoulos and Martin Radigan
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