April 26, 2013

Sourdough Parsnip Cake

Well, I'd hoped to have some Ziggy kids to show you by now, but there is no progress to report on that front. Today is her technical due date, but what baby every pays attention to that! In the meantime, here's a filler post. :)

If parsnips are similar to carrots, and I can make a carrot cake, then why not a parsnip cake? This is the kind of thing you think about when you have a bumper crop of parsnips. This recipe combines my basic sourdough cake recipe with a carrot cake recipe, substituting grated parsnips for the carrots.

A plain but tasty cake. I don't usually frost my cakes. We like our
desserts,  but I like to keep them as simple and low sugar as possible.

2 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening (I use non-hydrogenated organic)
1 cup whole wheat sourdough starter
2 eggs
2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated parsnips

Combine and beat well. Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350° F for about 40 minutes or until done.

This recipe is linked to Food on Friday: Parsnips and Pumpkin recipes, over at Carole's Chatter.

Sourdough Parsnip Cake © April 2013 by Leigh 

13 comments:

Renee Nefe said...

I should try some parsnips. I've never had them. :o

Your recipe looks yummy!

Sorry that Ziggy's babies are being like goats. ;) Hope it all goes well when it goes.

Nina said...

Please tell Ziggy to hurry up! Some of us are getting impatient. Cake looks yummy. I'd never thought of parsnip cake, but then I've never had more than we can use just by roasting.

Woolly Bits said...

I had the same thought some time back - and it worked very well. actually it worked better than with carrots, because DS didn't complain about the veggie in the cake (the light colour makes it look like almonds or nuts:). I even tried a beetroot cake - quite nice too, though with chocolate in it the red colour didn't show! I wonder what you have to come up with next as a filler, to make up for lack of ziggy kids:)

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Leigh, this is wonderful and bet it tasted fabulous. I adore parsnips although I've never tried growing them.

Su Ba said...

I hadn't considered using parsnips in cake, but it's a good idea. Around here most of the parsnips get eaten, leaving no surplus. But then I could always simply make the parsnip bed bigger, eh?

I once fooled my hubby by using white carrots in the carrot cake. By not seeing orange (which he balks at), he ate the cake and thought it was ok. Bet I could fool him with the parsnips too. Thanks for the idea!

...Su Ba
kaufarmer.blogspot.com

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,

What a great idea! I will be planting parsnips and I've been trying to figure other ways to cook them. We usually, was them, cut them and roast them with carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, regualar potatoes, salt, pepper and a little olive oil.

Thank you for posting this recipe, I will be borrowing this recipe when my parsnips come to harvest this season :-)

Ziggy is going to surprise you with her delivery, she never follows a schedule. Can't wait to see Ziggy pictures with little
one(s) running around.

Leigh said...

Renee, they are really tasty. Sweeter than carrots, though I don't think they can be eaten raw.

Nina, I tell her that every time I see her. :) I love roasted parsnips too. Yummy.

Bettina, I agree it's better than carrots because of that. I grated mine with the King Kutter fine blade and they came out really sliver like. It was hard to tell they were there. I'll have to try a cake with beets; thanks for the idea.

Sandra, they are amazingly easy to grow. They take awhile to germinate, but I had an especially good batch of volunteers.

Su Ba, it's a good way to eat more veggies. :) I have to say though, that I've never seen white carrots!

Sandy, I adore roasted veggies. And I can't wait to show you those Ziggy kids! In fact, I'm on my way to go check on her right now.

Cassandra said...

Oh, that looks tasty. I didn't plant any parsnips this year, and our carrots are still teeny. I'll file this idea away for later though, thanks!

luckybunny said...

Will have to try this, looks so good!

Farmer Barb said...

I love parsnips but we can rarely find them around here...freaks. Are they similar to carrots for culture?

Carole said...

Carole's Chatter is collecting links using parsnip and/or pumpkin today. This is a nice one. I do hope you pop over and link in. This is the link . Cheers

Leigh said...

Cassandra, just the thing for either parsnips or carrots. :)

Donna, I think you could substitute them for any carrot cake recipe. Very tasty.

Barb, I plant them just like carrots. And they grow similar to carrots too. In fact, my parsnips did much better than my carrots!

Carole, thanks! Sounds like fun.

Carole said...

Leigh, thanks for popping over and linking in. I have signed up to follow your blog and hope that you will follow Carole's Chatter too! Cheers