Parsnip & Carrot Cake with Coconut Cashew Frosting

Desserts Snacks

By Emily Williamson

Parsnips have a slightly nutty and sweet flavour and is a vegetable that is often forgotten about. Most of the flavour is right beneath the skin so make sure you buy organic and give them a good scrub before using. Carrot cake has really stood the test of time and this recipe mixes things up combining carrot and parsnip in a lovely moist cake!

Ingredients
Method

¾ cup almond milk
¼ cup Chia Seeds
¾ cup Plain Buckinis (or buckwheat flour)
1 ½ cups spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ tsp mixed spice
¾ cup Coconut Sugar
1 cup Coconut Oil, melted
1 tsp Vanilla Powder
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 parsnips & 1 carrot, grated (3 cups in total)
1 ½ cups pecans, roughly hopped
½ cup currants or sultanas
toasted Coconut Chips
Coconut Cashew Frosting
1 ½ cups of Cashews (soaked in water overnightand drained)
2 tbsp Yacon Syrup or Coconut Nectar
½ cup of coconut milk
1 tsp Vanilla Powder

Step 1 Preheat oven to 180C and generously grease a bunt cake tin or a spring form with coconut oil.
Step 2 Add the almond milk to a bowl and mix in the chia seeds. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes until the almond milk has been absorbed.
Step 3 Add the Plain Buckinis to a food processor and grind into a flour, then add to a bowl with the spelt flour, baking powder and soda, salt and mixed spice, set aside.
Step 4 Add the coconut sugar to the milk & chia mixture and combine. Next add the melted coconut oil, vanilla powder, then the orange juice. Mix really well with an electric hand mixer.
Step 5 Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients mixing them with a fork. Fold in the parsnips, pecans and currants.
Step 6 Pour the batter into your prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Step 7 Once the cake is cooled, ice with the Coconut Cashew Frosting and top with toasted coconut chips.
Step 8Add the rinsed cashews to a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend until the mixture is really smooth and creamy. This can take 5-10 minutes depending on the power of your blender.