Parsnip Drizzle Cake
Parsnip Drizzle Cake - Image Petrina Tinslay - Styled Geraldine Muñoz
“On a slow news day in 2009, a famous Australian TV gardening guru and an equally famous cookery author went to war – over the humble parsnip. The guru described the author as ‘wretched’ for serving parsnips to people, as they were not fit for pigs. ‘I’m outraged, I’m angry, I’m upset, I’m crushed. I’m all of those things and a lot more,’ he said on air. He insisted that they (the poor parsnips) ‘were an affront to human dignity. I respect pigs, I like pigs, but I wouldn’t give my pet pig parsnips.’
The author and the parsnip industry rose up to defend the worthy vegetable. The author said the guru was ‘out of touch’ and sent him a box of parsnips with recipes, challenging him to confront his prejudices.
‘I was surprised he was having a go. It’s just a parsnip,’ the author said. ‘If the guru cared to step into a modern restaurant he would find everyone’s using parsnips – they’re in vogue.’
Not only ‘in vogue’, Madam. Bloody delicious.
an extract from “Best Kitchen Basics” Author Mark Best, Published in Australia by Hardie Grant
”
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.
350 g parsnips
175 g unsalted butter
250 g raw (demerara) sugar
100 g golden syrup (light treacle)
3 eggs
250 g plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
ICING
1 egg white
240 g (81⁄2 oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease (butter) and flour a non-stick 22 × 10 cm (83⁄4 × 4 in) ring or (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 using a box grater or similar .
Toss the parsnips in the flour mixture to coat evenly.
Use a spatula to combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and pour into the prepared tin.
Tap the tin to style the mix and any large air bubbles.
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 with a lovely cup of tea. .