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Autumn apple and parsnip cake
Makes Cakes, Bread and Pastries
Ingredients
- 200g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
- 2tsp chai tea leaves
- 200g self-raising flour
- 1tsp baking powder
- 2tsp ground cinnamon
- 300g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2tsp vanilla bean paste
- 150g grated parsnip (approx. 2 large parsnips)
- 2 eating apples, peeled and grated
- honeycomb or clear honey, to serve (optional)
For the cream cheese icing
- 250g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 80g unsalted butter, softened
- 80g icing sugar
- 1tsp vanilla bean paste
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C F/Gas 4. Grease 2 x 18cm round cake tins well with butter and line the bases and sides with baking paper.
Put the butter in a pan over a medium heat and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until it has melted and starts to bubble rapidly. Once the bubbles slow and the butter starts to foam, watch carefully. When small brown flecks appear at the bottom of the pan, quickly remove the pan from the heat. Allow the butter to cool. Put the chai tea leaves in a small spice grinder or pestle and mortar and grind until fine. Put the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground chai, caster sugar and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl, whisking briefly to combine. Set aside.
Put the eggs, vanilla paste and cooled browned butter in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the butter and egg mixture. Stir gently until combined, then add the grated parsnips and apples and fold them through.
Divide the batter evenly between the tins, smoothing the tops gently with a spatula. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cakes are cool, make the cream cheese icing. To avoid lumps, it is really important that both the cream cheese and butter are soft. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste together until light and fluffy.
To assemble, place one cake on a serving plate and top with half the cream cheese icing, spreading it out evenly using a palette knife. Top with the second cake and sandwich gently. Spoon on the remaining icing and smooth it over the cake. Top with a few pieces of honeycomb or a drizzle of runny honey, if using.
Serve the same day and then store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days – just be sure to return the cake to room temperature before serving.
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