Carrot and Parsnip Loaf

If, like me, you get a weekly vegbox delivery, you might be looking for innovative ways to use up root vegetables. Right now, I have a surplus of parsnips in the bottom of the fridge. Rachael's birthday gave me an excuse to bake another cake last week, and a footnote in Leiths Baking Bible suggested a use for parsnips that hadn't previously occurred to me: replace half of the carrots in a carrot cake recipe with parsnips.

Although it sounds an odd combination, cinnamon is the dominant flavour and there is plenty of sweetness from the sugar and the vegetables. It went down well with everyone in the lab, even those who claimed not to like parsnips.

The quantities here are from the Baking Bible, but I have adapted the method to make use of my otherwise underused Magimix.

Carrot and Parsnip Loaf

• 225g butter
• 115g carrots, washed and peeled
• 115g parsnips, washed and peeled
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 225g caster sugar
• 285g plain flour
• 2tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch salt

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. Pre-heat the oven to 170℃. Melt the butter and put to one side to cool.

Grate the carrots and parsnips into the medium bowl of the Magimix.

With the dough hook in the large bowl, break in the eggs, add the vanilla essence, and whizz together. With the motor running, slowly pour in the cooled melted butter. Stop the motor and sift in the caster sugar, flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and ground cinnamon; pulse a few times until combined. Add the grated carrots and parsnip, and give it a final whizz.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, level the top, and bake until firm, 1½ to 2 hours. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

I served this dusted with icing sugar, but it would also be nice topped with cream cheese icing.