Parsnip & cranberry cake

This is a brilliant cake, full of festive flavours, and a twist on the well-loved carrot cake. Makes an ideal alternative to Christmas cake, stollen or mince pies if you are looking for something different over the festive season.

Parsnip and cranberry cake

Grease and flour/or line two 20cm/8in cake tins

Pre-heat oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4


Ingredients:

250g dried cranberries (keep a handful back to decorate the cake)

3 large free-range eggs

175ml sunflower oil

200g light muscovado sugar

1 tsp mixed spice

½ tsp of ground ginger

225g self-raising flour

one level tsp baking powder

60g pecans, (plus extra for the topping if desired)

200g parsnip, roughly grated

2 oranges, zest only (put half in the cake mix and half in the icing)

half lemon, juice only (put in cake mix)


Icing:

125g/4oz butter, softened

225g/8oz cream cheese

450g/1lb icing sugar

(pecans, if using, and dried cranberries for decoration)

Method:

Put the eggs, sunflower oil and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until creamy.

Sift the cinnamon, ginger, flour, and baking powder over the mixture, and fold in with the pecans, parsnip and cranberries. Add lemon juice and orange zest and mix.

Spoon into the tins and bake for 20-25minutes or until a skewer pushed into the cake’s centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the icing, beat the cream cheese with the butter then sieve in the icing sugar. Add the orange zest and mix. Add more icing sugar for a firmer consistency if needed. Spread the icing between the cakes and smother over the top. Finish by sprinkling over the dried cranberries (and pecans if desired).