Chai Spiced Pear and Parsnip Cake

Chai spiced pear and parsnip cake, you guys. When I say this is my favourite cake I've ever made, I am being completely and utterly serious. It is moist, spicy, sweet and packed full of flavour. Make the Chai spice ahead of time, find the recipe here. I can hear all of you saying 'Parsnip, in a cake?' Vegetables in cakes are seriously underrated, they add moisture like nothing else. If I was going to compare this cake to anything, it would be carrot cake. I've also used a cream cheese buttercream spiked with cinnamon. It is just so amazingly delicious, I keep thinking about it. I think I was ever going to enter a cake competition, this would be the one I'd choose.

Parsnips are an excellent source of many important nutrients, packing a hearty dose of fiber, vitamins, and minerals into each serving. In particular, parsnips are a great source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate, as well as several other important micronutrients. Add all those to some sugar and you have the makings of a great bake. I promise you that if you don't like this cake, you can get your money back. Or whatever they say on adverts haha.

Chai Spiced Pear and Parsnip Cake

Serves: 6-8Prep time: 10-12 minsCook time: 25-30 minsTotal time: 35-47 minutes.

Ingredients

• 300g plain flour
• 100g white sugar
• 100g dark brown sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 80g plain yoghurt
• 2 tbsp chai spice (see recipe)
• 2 tsp vanilla bean extract
• 240ml vegetable oil
• 140g parsnip, grated (around 1 parsnip)
• 140g pear, chopped into thin matchsticks, then halved (about 1 pear)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• Half tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• Mixture of nuts, finely chopped (for topping)

• FOR THE CHAI:

• 2 tsp cardamom
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp all spice
• 2 tsp cloves
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp coconut sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Make Chai mix if you haven't prepped ahead. Set aside. Pre heat oven to 180c, gas mark 4, 350f.
2. Grease, line and dust two 9 inch spring bottom baking tins. Shaking off excess flour.
3. Add flour, salt, chai, bicarb, baking powder to a bowl, mix and set aside.
4. Chop pears and press between two sheets of kitchen towel to remove access liquid, grate parsnip. Add both to flour bowl and mix in.
5. In another bowl, whisk together oil, yoghurt, sugars, eggs and vanilla.
6. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until fully combined.
7. Tip equally in to the two tins and bake for 25-30 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. 28 minutes was perfect for me. Remove cakes from the oven and set on a wire rack in the tins. Leave to cool for ten mins before removing from the tins to cool completely.

Buttercream

• 55g softened butter (room temperature)
• 120g icing sugar (sifted)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 100g cream cheese

Directions

1. Mix everything together on high speed until thick, refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Add a layer in the middle and then the top. Finish with chopped nuts.