Hazelnut parsnip cake

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."

Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

Nature is quivering, the sky is pure and the grass fields are warm. The woods still hold the shade and give me goose flesh. The pale sun is getting a tan, it's snowing white flowers. The nightingales are awakening spring composing their seasonal melodies. 

Do I love this time of year! It makes me feel alive again (as it should, right?). 

Quickly sharing this cake recipe because parsnips are not going to be in season for long (most probably aren't anymore where you live) but you can use carrots instead. Please note that the recipe yields only one cake, so you need to double it if you want to make a layer cake. Grain-free cakes tend to be very filling so if you're not celebrating anything (that is not sharing this cake with a lot of people, I'd advise to make a single cake). This was a birthday cake, half of my family did not like the frosting too much, so you can just use coconut whipped cream if you're not into cocoa butter. 

Hazelnut parsnip cake
(makes one cake, if you want to make a two-layer cake as pictured, you need to double the recipe)

340 g parsnips
100 g hazelnut flour
100 g almond flour
50 g coconut flour
50 g arrowroot powder
10 g grain-free baking powder
vanilla powder, to taste
cardamom powder, to taste
cinnamon powder, to taste

40 g hazelnuts

55 g brown rice syrup
70 g coconut oil
the coconut water from the one of the coconut cans used for the frosting ( about 274 ml)



First, peel parsnips if you want (I don't, I just scrub them quickly). In a food processor, grate parsnips with the grater attachment. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the hazelnut and almond flours. Sift the coconut flour and the arrowroot powder and add them in, combine. Add the other dry ingredients : spices, baking powder and whole hazelnuts. Fold in the grated parsnips. Add the brown rice syrup, coconut oil and coconut water. Mix until well combined. Grease a 22-cm tin with coconut oil and pour batter into it, even it out with a spatula. Bake at 185°C for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover with foil if it starts to brown too much. Let cool completely before removing from tin.


2 x 126 g coconut cream (approx.) from 2 coconut milk cans, chilled in the fridge overnight
50 g brown rice syrup
110 g cocoa butter

Very gently melt cocoa butter. Let cool (not so that it hardens again). In the meantime, whip the coconut cream until light and fluffy. With the hand beater still on, add the brown rice syrup and the cooled cocoa butter. Place in fridge to harden so it's easier to spread. Spread on top of cake.