Parsnip Spice Cake with Sour Cream-Lemon Icing

This is because of Niki Segnit's The Flavor Thesaurus, which told me that parsnip cake used to be as common as carrot, and also suggested (separately) that parsnips go well with anise and with lemon.

The recipe is a mishmash of various carrot cake recipes I found online but primarily taken from a Cook's Illustrated carrot cake for which I seem to have lost the URL. I think I cut it in either a half or a quarter, so as not to be a layer cake, and I wanted molasses for the dark flavor notes so I readjusted for that. So mostly I suspect it is mine.

( For the cake. )

( For the icing. )

How it turned out: I am really proud of myself. This is one of the most delicious things I have cooked. The way I can best describe it is that it has the homey, comforting familiarity of carrot cake or zucchini bread or pumpkin bread, except for how it tastes totally different. I don't know if a person could tell it is parsnips without being told, but they add this mellow sweet-but-not undertone. The spices play really well with each other-- I miiiight reduce the anise slightly next time, but I love anise, so I might not; it's definitely a strong impression but it blends. The icing is a light cold sharpness against it, a delicate contrast; it's a lighter cake than it seems and a heavier icing, and it works.

Serve with milk or white tea.

ETA: oh my god you know what is best on the third day? THIS CAKE. Also I am totally cutting the anise next time because it does a buildup as the leftovers sit and I wouldn't say it gets overwhelming but did I mention I really, really like anise? So yeah, less.

ETAA: updates and amendations to recipe.

Parsnip Spice Cake with Sour Cream-Lemon Icing

This is because of Niki Segnit's The Flavor Thesaurus, which told me that parsnip cake used to be as common as carrot, and also suggested (separately) that parsnips go well with anise and with lemon.

The recipe is a mishmash of various carrot cake recipes I found online but primarily taken from a Cook's Illustrated carrot cake for which I seem to have lost the URL. I think I cut it in either a half or a quarter, so as not to be a layer cake, and I wanted molasses for the dark flavor notes so I readjusted for that. So mostly I suspect it is mine.

( For the cake. )

( For the icing. )

How it turned out: I am really proud of myself. This is one of the most delicious things I have cooked. The way I can best describe it is that it has the homey, comforting familiarity of carrot cake or zucchini bread or pumpkin bread, except for how it tastes totally different. I don't know if a person could tell it is parsnips without being told, but they add this mellow sweet-but-not undertone. The spices play really well with each other-- I miiiight reduce the anise slightly next time, but I love anise, so I might not; it's definitely a strong impression but it blends. The icing is a light cold sharpness against it, a delicate contrast; it's a lighter cake than it seems and a heavier icing, and it works.

Serve with milk or white tea.

ETA: oh my god you know what is best on the third day? THIS CAKE. Also I am totally cutting the anise next time because it does a buildup as the leftovers sit and I wouldn't say it gets overwhelming but did I mention I really, really like anise? So yeah, less.

ETAA: updates and amendations to recipe.

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