They're almost too pretty to eat — almost.
By
Daisy Melamed Sanders, Good Housekeping
This sweet root veggie makes a surprisingly delicious addition to this rich, spiced fall cake.
Total Time:
Prep:
Level:
Moderate
Serves:
16
Ingredients
Cakes
- 1 small butternut squash
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 4 large eggs
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- ⅔ c. brown sugar
- ¾ c. vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 c. coarsely grated peeled parsnips
Brown Butter Frosting
- ½ c. butter
- 2 package cream cheese
- 2 c. confectioners' sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Directions
- In glass baking dish, combine butternut squash and 2 tablespoons water; cover with vented plastic wrap. Microwave on high 10 minutes. Let stand, covered, 5 min. Drain well; transfer to food processor. Puree until smooth. Cool completely.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans (or eight 4 1/2-inch pans). Line bottoms with parchment; grease.
- In med. bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; set aside.
- In lg. bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat eggs, sugars, oil, vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups squash puree until well combined. (Reserve remaining puree for another use.) Add flour mixture; mix just until incorporated. With rubber spatula, fold in parsnips. Divide among pans. Bake 35 to 40 minutes (25 to 30 for small pans)nor until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool on wire racks 10 minutes. With small knife, loosen layers from sides of pans. Invert onto wire racks. Peel off parchment; cool. Can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 1 day or frozen up to 2 weeks.
- Place 1 cake layer onto cake plate. Top with one-third of frosting (recipe below); spread evenly. Add second layer on top. Spread remaining frosting on top of cake. Cake can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 3 days.
- To make the frosting: In 1-quart saucepan, cook butter on medium 8 to 10 minutes or until brown and very fragrant, swirling frequently. Transfer to small bowl; refrigerate until just starting to set, about 30 minutes.
- In medium bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat brown butter, confectioners’ sugar, and pinch salt until smooth. Makes 3 1/2 cups.
