I have been receiving a lot of parsnips from my local CSA. I was hoping to try a sweet recipe after having tried a tasty parsnip cake and this recipe was incredible. There has been a lot of buzz around Joshua McFadden’s new cookbook Six Seasons. It features vegetables so I had to check it out! I adapted this recipe from his Parsnip, Date and Hazelnut Loaf Cake with Meyer Lemon Glaze. I didn’t make the glaze and honestly do not think this bread needs anything else, it shines on its own.
Parsnip, Date and Walnut Bread
adapted from Six Seasons
Ingredients
- Butter
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- 150 grams (1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped dates (about 8-12 jewel dates)
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces) parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once oven is warm, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven 6-10 minutes until the nuts smell toasty and have a slightly darker appearance. Be careful of burning the nuts, check them early until you know how your oven works. Leave them to cool.
- Butter a 22 x 12cm Loaf plan. Add a small amount of flour and coat all the surfaces, dump out any extra flour.
- In a medium to large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then mix in the dates. Try to separate the dates so that they do not clump together.
- Place the parsnips in a food process and process until they are finely chopped (similar to quinoa).
- Add the eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest to the food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Pulse in the olive oil until blended.
- Fold the parsnip mixture into the dry mixture.
- Fold in the toasted walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60-80 minutes. Start checking at 50 minutes.
- Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and remove it from the pan and allow the bread to cool.