Tipsy Apple-Parsnip Cake with Sultanas and Cider Glaze
I decided to break away from exclusively baking pies this Thanksgiving. I was on call all week, which turned out to be very busy. I needed recipes that were less time-intensive than pies. Besides time constraints, I was hosting a cozy holiday with just my parents and one brother. My dad reminded me in no uncertain terms that I should not be baking enough dessert for 30 people. Rob called a few days later to inquire what desserts I would be making this year, and was appalled at the idea of only one. What’s a girl to do?
A little something fresh to balance out an otherwise gluttonous holiday.
This bundt cake with a few suspicious ingredients was delicious and served as both breakfast and dessert throughout the weekend. The cake is moist and flavorful enough to stand on its own without the cider glaze if one is trying to be more sugar-conscious. Speaking of sugar, the original recipe called for golden bakers sugar, which sent me down a rabbit hole learning the difference between turbinado and demerara sugar (spoiler, there isn’t really a difference). I spent an inordinate amount of time learning about different sugars and the ideal purpose for each.
Granulated Sugar: White crystallized refined sugar with all the molasses removed. This is most commonly used in baking.
Caster Sugar: AKA Superfine sugar or Baker’s sugar. This is commonly used in many British baking recipes and is exactly what it sounds like. The grain is somewhere between the common granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar. The texture will make a difference in the final product if, so one should think twice before simply substituting granulated sugar you have on hand if the recipe calls for caster sugar.
Confectioners’ Sugar: AKA Powdered Sugar or Icing Sugar. This is a finely powdered sugar used for making icings and candy. This is also frequently the sweetener of choice for homemade whipped cream because the fine granulation does not weigh down the final product.
Sanding Sugar: A refined coarse granule sugar that falls somewhere between Granulated sugar and Coarse sugar. It is commonly used for decorating.
Coarse Sugar: AKA Decorating Sugar. Refined sugar with a coarse granule that is resistant to melting. This is commonly found in many colors.
Brown Sugar: 95% refined granulated white sugar bathed in a bit of cane molasses. Dark brown sugar has more molasses and thus a richer flavor. Pro-tip: if your brown sugar has hardened you can microwave it for a few seconds to soften it again. Store in an airtight container with a piece of bread to keep it moist.
Demerara Sugar: A partially refined light brown cane sugar originally from Guyana (formerly a colony called Demerara). The sugar is produced from the first crystallization during processing of cane juice into sugar crystals. The crystals are large and crunchy, with a natural caramel flavor. The crystals are resistant to melting during baking and offer a nice sparkle when sprinkled over cookies or pie crusts before baking. Turbinado sugar is basically the same thing as Demerara sugar, but is named because it is processed in turbines. The crystals are large, crunchy, and dry with a molasses flavor.
Muscovado Sugar: This is an unrefined cane sugar in which the molasses is not removed. It can be found in variations from light to dark, and most frequently comes from the island of Mauritius. This is a rich, moist, sticky sugar with a complex taste profile. It has a smoky caramelized flavor that lends itself well to both sweet and savory recipes (e.g. BBQ sauce).
Golden bakers sugar: This is a confusing light brown sugar. It is finer than white crystallized sugar, but not as fine as superfine sugar.
There are also differences in the source of sugar. Granulated sugar can come from sugar cane or sugar beets. Diving too deep down this rabbit hole…
Moving on, who would have guessed that you can find such beautiful peonies in Seattle at the end of November for SUPER cheap? Not I. This whole bouquet was $6 and I was quite skeptical when my mom picked up the unopened stems at Whole Foods. These brought me a lot of joy over he holiday, while I was eating cake.
Tipsy Apple-Parsnip Cake with Sultanas and Cider Glaze
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Sultanas
- 1/3 cup + 3tbsp Apple Cider, divided
- 1/3 cup Dark rum
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 12 tbsp Unsalted butter, room temperature + more for greasing pan
- 2/3 cup Light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup Granulated sugar
- 4 Large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 Large apple (any varietal will do)
- 1 Parsnip
- 1 cup Confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp Lemon juice
Instructions
- Add the sultanas, 1/3 c apple cider, rum, and vanilla to a small bowl or jar. Cover the container and allow to sit overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 10-12c Bundt pan.
- Cream the butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes using a stand or hand-held mixer, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined.
- Peel and core the apple, then shred with a box grater or food processor (careful not to turn into mush). Peel and grate the parsnip. Fold the grated apple and parsnip to the batter.
- Drain sultanas, reserving the liquid. Add the sultanas and 2 tbsp of the raisin liquid to the batter and mix until just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan for at least 1 hour.
- While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners sugar with the remaining 3T of apple cider (or raisin liquid).
- Invert the cake onto a serving plate and pour the glaze over the top.