Parsnip Spice Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

Sense of Home

A nearby neighbor plants a huge garden every year and they have often shared some of their produce with us.  They were part of the 'back to nature' crowd that began here in the early 1970s, heating with a wood stove and growing a huge garden.  Late last fall and then again in January they gave us several squash, and just a couple weeks ago they gave us parsnips.  Wherever they store their produce it keeps quite well because these parsnips were nice and firm, although as you can see in the photo below they were starting to grow and needed to be used soon.

Parsnips get a bad rap.  I know I didn't want to eat them as a child, my mom would sauté them and I would declare them disgusting and do whatever was necessary to avoid eating them.  Perhaps it is their pale color or their surprisingly sweet flavor that turns people off.  It was not long ago that I decided to give them another try, and now I can't quite figure out what it was that I did not like about them.  According to the March 2006 Bon Appétit magazine, where I found this recipe, in Europe parsnips were once more popular than potatoes.

After the first frost the starch in parsnips turns to sugar, contributing to their sweet and nutty flavor.  Parsnips are a good source of Potassium, they are high in fiber, Vitamin C, Folate and Manganese.  Like carrots, parsnips are such a versatile vegetable, they can be sautéed with other vegetables, {a thought for food} has a recipe up for Parsnip Fries, and earlier I made Lemon Thyme Parsnip Mashed Potatoes.  They are so versatile that they even wiggle their way into dessert.  You would never guess there is a vegetable in this spice cake and next week I will post a recipe for some muffins I squeezed parsnips into, eating your vegetables was never so easy.

Parsnip Spice Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

~from the Sense of Home Kitchen adapted from a March 2006 Bon Appétit recipe~
12 to 16 servings

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3 large eggs

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

2 cups (packed) shredded peeled parsnips (about 3 large)

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger

3 cups (about 12 ounces) powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.  Combine flour, ground ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves in a medium-sized bowl, stirring to combine.  

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar, add eggs, buttermilk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla while whisking.  Gradually add the flour mixture, stirring to just combine.  Stir in parsnips and walnuts.  

Transfer batter to prepared pan.  Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.  Cool completely.

For Frosting

Beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until smooth.  Beat in heavy cream, grated ginger, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.  Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Spread the frosting over the cake and serve.

Sense of Home / Recipes / Cake