Subbing out dessert’s carrots with parsnips a piece of cake

Meet parsnip cake, carrot cake’s sweet, blond cousin.

Parsnip Cake

1½ sticks (6 ounces)

unsalted butter

½ cup PLUS 2 tablespoons

granulated sugar

½ cup PLUS 2 tablespoons

light-brown sugar

½ cup maple syrup

3 large parsnips, peeled, grated on small shredding holes

1 apple, peeled, cored, grated on large shredding holes

3 eggs

Finely grated zest and juice

of 1 orange

2 cups flour

2½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¾ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting,

recipe follows

½ cup toasted and chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, melt butter, both types of sugar and maple syrup. Cool slightly. Stir in remaining ingredients, except frosting and pecans.

Butter 2 (8-inch) square or 2 (9-inch) round pans. Pour in batter. Bake until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pans, 10 minutes. Turn out and cool completely.

Spread the top of one layer with half the frosting. Stack on the second layer and spread the top with remaining frosting (leave sides of cake bare). Sprinkle with pecans.

Makes 8 servings.

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces unsalted butter,

softened

8 ounces cream cheese 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons milk

Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and milk.