Parsnip & Ginger Loaf

No matter how often I grow something, I am astounded every time. To see a tiny seed turn into a plant and then into a meal is wondrous. And like a child clapping her hands in glee at a magic trick, I am filled with giddy amazement by each crop.

None more so than this year’s parsnip harvest. Historically, I have been a poor parsnip grower, but this year everything went uncharacteristically to plan (for the full and glorious tale see my Parsnip Gnocchi with Sage and Hazelnuts blog) and we have been feasting on parsnips since November. After the gnocchi, I made korma and there was plenty to roast and honey-glaze on Christmas day.

Now, when I find myself in need of cake (don’t we all, given The State of Things), the parsnip harvest has once again come to the rescue.

This spiced parsnip loaf is made with warming ginger, nutmeg and mixed spice to complement the sweet grated roots that are added to the cake batter as you would in a carrot cake. The topping, which is critical, brings crunch and kick to balance the soft sweetness of the cake. It is sweet but not sickly - if anything, the wholemeal flour and the grated veg made it feel quite wholesome - so ideal for elevenses. I also highly recommend toasting the slices under the grill then buttering liberally and drizzling with honey or, even better, a dollop of Spiced Pear and Toffee Jam. You might even call it breakfast.

(Before I go, a bit of housekeeping: my kitchen is about to be pulled down and rebuilt so expect the next few weeks of recipes to be slightly less frequent and featuring only things you can cook with one hob ring and a microwave. Wish me luck and tune in to Instagram to follow the journey.)

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Parsnip & Ginger Cake

Yield: 8-10 slicesPrep time: 20 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 20 MA wholesome cake made with grated parsnips, wholemeal flour and warming nutmeg, ginger and mixed spice. Great toasted and buttered for breakfast or elevenses.

Ingredients

• 200g butter

• 4 eggs

• 300g wholemeal self-raising flour

• 250g light brown sugar

• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 ½ tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp mixed spice

• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• 500g parsnip

• 150g walnuts, chopped

• 40g crystallised ginger, chopped

• 2 pieces stem ginger, chopped, plus 1 tbsp of syrup

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 185C and line a 2 lb (900g) loaf tin.

2. Melt the butter gently in a saucepan then pour into a large jug and leave to cool for a few minutes. Add the eggs and whisk everything together.

3. Mix the flour, sugar, bicarb’ and spices in a bowl. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and stir to combine.

4. Peel and coarsely grate the parsnips then fold them into the batter with 100g of the walnuts.

5. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin and bake for 1 hour.

6. Meanwhile, mix the remaining walnuts with the crystallised and stem ginger.

7. When the cake is ready (and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean), remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out.

8. Brush the top of the cake with the stem ginger syrup to act as a glue, then press the walnut mixture onto the syrupy top.

9. You can serve it by simply slicing and devouring. Or, and I cannot recommend this enough, you can slice thickly, toast (under the grill – it’ll disintegrate in the toaster) then slather with salted butter and perhaps even a spoonful ofSpiced Pear and Toffee jam.