PRALINE AND PARSNIP CAKE

You may wonder why parsnips are in this cake. But this slightly sweet root makes as good a cake as its rival, the carrot. Like carrots, parsnips are sweet, which lets you use less refined sugar, but they also have a nutty flavour, and putting veg into cakes keeps them moist. I made a version of this for my baby’s christening.

Serves 8-10 For the cake

150g (5½oz) wholewheat flour 50g (1¾oz) ground hazelnuts 1tbsp baking powder

½tsp ground cinnamon

½tsp fine sea salt

3 medium eggs

100g (3½oz) golden caster sugar 150ml (5fl oz) sunflower oil

200g (7oz) parsnips, peeled and grated

For the praline

150g (5½oz) blanched hazelnuts 150g (5½oz) sugar

For the icing

100g (3½oz) butter, softened 200g (7oz) cream cheese

50g (1¾oz) icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas 6. Line a 23cm spring-form cake tin with parchment. Mix together the flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Beat the eggs and sugar until fluffy, pour in the oil then add to the dry ingredients, with the parsnips. Fold, then pour into the cake tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin on to a wire rack.

Next make the praline. Line a baking tray with silicone-coated baking paper. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan until slightly golden. Leave to cool then roughly chop. Cover the base of a large pan with a thin layer of sugar and place on a high heat. When the sugar melts at the edges, put more on top. Repeat until all the sugar is used. Swirl the pan occasionally (don’t stir). Once the sugar is a toasty golden brown, take off the heat and stir in the nuts. Pour on to the tray. Let it cool then blitz to a coarse powder in a food processor.

For the icing, beat the butter until very soft, then beat in the cream cheese, sift in the icing sugar and beat until smooth. When the cake is cool, slice horizontally in two. Put a layer on a plate, add some icing and smooth. Put the other layer on top and cover with icing. Sprinkle the sides and top with praline.