Parsnip Cake - Chef Recipe by Mark Best

Ingredients

"Parsnips are not normally associated with cake. Having said that, I'd imagine that carrots weren't always either. For me the carrot cake has now reached a level of banality where I would rather saw off an appendage than submit to a piece. It was from this dark emotional place that the parsnip cake had its inception. This cake, if carefully made, is a revelation in terms of the sweet, moist nuttiness and perhaps, counter-intuitively, the delicacy the parsnip brings to the game." ~ Mark Best.

Cake:

175 g (6 oz) unsalted butter
250 g (9 oz) raw (demerara) sugar
100 g (3 1/2 oz) golden syrup (light treacle)
3 eggs
250 g (9 oz/1 2/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 Tbs baking powder
350 g (12 1/2 oz) parsnips

Icing:

1 egg white
240 g (8 1/2 oz) icing (confectioners') sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease a non-stick 22 × 10 cm (8 3/4 × 4 in) ring (bundt) tin.

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.

Lightly whisk the eggs and add them to the cooled mixture.

Sift together the flour and baking powder.

Peel and coarsely grate the parsnips. Toss in the flour mixture to coat.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool for 15–20 minutes before icing.

To make the icing, whisk the egg white in a medium bowl until just broken up. Whisk in the icing sugar to form a thin icing. Stir in the lemon juice to assist hardening.

Decorate the cooled cake with the icing and leave for 25 minutes to set before serving.

Credits: This is an edited extract from Best Kitchen Basics by Mark Best published by Hardie Grant Books RRP 59.95 and is available in stores nationally.

Photo Credits: Photography by Petrina Tinslay. This is an edited extract from Best Kitchen Basics by Mark Best published by Hardie Grant Books RRP 59.95 and is available in stores nationally.