Parsnip Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting and Ginger
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus cooling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:12 to 15 servings
- Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
- 1½cups/185 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
- 1½cups/185 grams walnuts
- ¾cup plus 3 tablespoons/225 milliliters roasted walnut oil or vegetable oil
- ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
- ¾cup/165 grams light brown sugar
- 3large eggs
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½teaspoons ground cardamom
- ¼teaspoon ground cloves
- A generous grating of nutmeg
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- ¾teaspoon baking soda
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt
- 3cups grated parsnips (from about 4 parsnips)
- ¾cup golden raisins
- 8ounces/225 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
- 1cup/120 grams confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2tablespoons maple syrup
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½cup chopped crystallized ginger
For the Cake
For the Frosting
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)
719 calories; 50 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 24 grams polyunsaturated fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 46 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 225 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Prepare the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan. Line with parchment paper, butter the parchment, then flour the pan, tapping out excess.
- Step 2
Place the walnuts on a small baking sheet and toast until fragrant and turning golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
- Step 3
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Stir in the parsnips, raisins and walnuts.
- Step 4
Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the top springs back when touched, the cake is turning brown around the edges, and a toothpick comes out dry, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack, peel off parchment, and let cool completely. When cooled, invert onto a serving platter.
- Step 5
Prepare the frosting: Put the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a mixing bowl, if using a hand mixer). Cream the cream cheese until smooth, then add the butter, confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. Beat until well combined and fluffy. Spread over the top of the cooled cake almost to the edges. Top with the candied ginger. The cake keeps well for several days at room temperature.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Deb
Happened to have some parsnips on hand from our local farm and was intrigued by the idea of parsnips in cake. Delicious! Lovely combination of spices, textures and flavor.
Ellen Tabor
I hope it's not too late in the season for parsnips...this cake looks delicious and different.
Naomi
Delicious! We opted to forgo the frosting but served it with a simple maple butter - a huge hit!
MSB
Excellent recipe, the cake is moist and very flavorful with easy and delicious frosting. I omitted the maple syrup because I like tart frosting. I also did not invert the cake or remove the parchment: just slid it onto a platter. The paper makes it easy to move and slice the cake.
Jen
This cake is CRAZY yummy. Got 2 bags of parsnips delivered in a grocery box by accident & have been wondering what do with them. Now I know. I added grated fresh ginger & orange zest to the frosting, and cut back on the butter. Used pecans (no walnuts on hand).
BB
A pretty tasty cake. I didn't get much parsnip taste but it could have been the few subs I made (half a cup of purple carrots after not having quite enough parsnips, and regular raisins for the golden raisins). The pan prep seemed overkill so next time I will probably leave it in the pan.
LC
Happy to report this works gluten free - used the same weight of King Arthur measure for measure GF flour instead of wheat flour. It is a delicious parsnip delivery vehicle, though I didn’t get a ton of parsnip flavor that makes this stand out relative to carrot cake
Lindsey
This is a warm, autumnal cake, with great texture and spice. Perfect for fall. The parsnips are a nice twist!
marina
Made exactly as written. Very very sweet. Would recommend omitting the confectioners sugar from the frosting and sticking with the 2tbsp of maple syrup alone. It needs something to balance the excessive sweetness of the cake. It was fun to try something new, but I think the additional moisture in carrots works better than parsnip.
Deb
Made this today because we had a lot of parsnips and we weren't sure what to do with them. I initially thought it was a really dense batter & didn't think it was going to spread, but it came out perfect and had a delicious crumb to it. The cream cheese frosting made it even better. I loved the spice combination and toasting the walnuts is a must. Would definitely make this delicious cake again!
kathy
These were delicious. Made them into 72 mini cupcakes - they were darling and delicious. Cooked about 15 minutes. Iced with one little piece of ginger on each. The cake is pretty sweet on its own.
kar0319
Our daughter (our baker-in-residence during the pandemic) made this last week. I’m not normally a fan of so many “warm” spiced desserts, but this was divine. She wisely doubled the frosting as she felt the original amount was slightly mingy. (She probably could have increased it by half, as we have some left over.) The crystallized ginger is essential. Very like carrot cake, as one might guess, but not as sweet. A special cake!
Jen
This cake is CRAZY yummy. Got 2 bags of parsnips delivered in a grocery box by accident & have been wondering what do with them. Now I know. I added grated fresh ginger & orange zest to the frosting, and cut back on the butter. Used pecans (no walnuts on hand).
MSB
Excellent recipe, the cake is moist and very flavorful with easy and delicious frosting. I omitted the maple syrup because I like tart frosting. I also did not invert the cake or remove the parchment: just slid it onto a platter. The paper makes it easy to move and slice the cake.
Therese
I didn’t have quite enough parsnips so I mixed in a few carrots. It was delicious.
Naomi
Delicious! We opted to forgo the frosting but served it with a simple maple butter - a huge hit!
Deb
Happened to have some parsnips on hand from our local farm and was intrigued by the idea of parsnips in cake. Delicious! Lovely combination of spices, textures and flavor.
nancys
Melissa - No parsnips on hand - just carrots. Also no candied ginger but do have a few fingers of fresh. And no light brown sugar - only dark. Can I do these substitutions without affecting taste too much?
Dominic
Carrots will make this a carrot cake, not a parsnip one. It shouldn't affect the texture too much, but using dark brown sugar will give it a more molasses-y flavor. For the candied ginger, you could make candied ginger using the fresh if you're feeling ambitious, but using fresh instead would result in what you might imagine- a very spicy and less sweet topping than you would want. Without candied ginger, I'd forgo it altogether and add a bit of ground ginger in with the frosting.
Ellen Tabor
I hope it's not too late in the season for parsnips...this cake looks delicious and different.
Lynn
I over wintered my parsnips so I am still picking mine. I am going to try this recipe!!
lisa cutler
I live in New England and I'm getting parsnips every week from my CSA now but I can always get them in the grocery store. Maybe you can, too!
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