Parsnip, Carrot & Marmalade Cake with Cream Cheese Ganache
A simply beautiful peach tone cake housing a moist carrot & parsnip cake with a honey milk soak, cream cheese whipped ganache, orange bergamot marmalade and silky smooth swiss meringue buttercream.
I adored making every single element of this cake. The sponge has some hidden ground pecans to keep it really moist as well as some plump raisins for added sweetness. The cream cheese whipped ganache is the perfect balance of tangy, sweet and creamy. While the orange bergamot marmalade adds a lovely floral note. All polished off in a peach hue buttercream that just melts in your mouth. I finished it off with large ribbon piping, little pearls, flowers, oranges, more marmalade and some thyme.
When you make the filling, you’ll think its way to much. That is however, the way I intended this cake. I wanted almost a 1:2 ration of filling to cake. Enjoy.
Ingredients - makes one 6-inch cake
Carrot & parsnip cake:
140g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
60g raisins
85g ground pecans
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
160g caster sugar
Zest of 1 small orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
150ml vegetable oil
60g grated carrot
80g grated parsnip
Cream cheese whipped ganache:
150ml double cream (1)
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
Zest of half an orange
Pinch of salt
40g good-quality white chocolate, chopped
50ml double cream (2)
75g cream cheese
a few tbsp of marmalade*
Swiss meringue buttercream:
200g egg whites
250g caster sugar
500g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla paste
peach food colouring
orange wedges, to garnish
flowers, to garnish
Honey milk soak:
50ml whole milk
10g honey
*I used an Orange & Bergamot Marmalade from The Proper Marmalade Company
Method
The day before assembly:
For the cake; pre-heat your oven to 170°C. Grease and line a 6-inch tin with oil and baking parchment.
Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, raisins, pecans, cinnamon and salt together. In the bowl of a stand mixer; whisk together the eggs, orange zest, vanilla and sugar until pale and whipped. On medium speed, stream in the oil. Add in the grated carrot and parsnip and mix. Finally, whisk in the mixed dry ingredients until combined. Pour the cake batter into your prepared cake tin and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before demoulding and leaving to cool completely. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate overnight.
For the cream cheese whipped ganache; place 150ml of double cream, vanilla paste, orange zest and salt into a saucepan over low heat until just under a simmer. Place your chopped chocolate into a container and pour over the hot cream. Leave it to melt the chocolate for a minute before whisking together. Whisk in the remaining 50ml of double cream (cold) and blend with a hand blender to emulsify. Place clingfilm on top, touching the surface of the ganache, and refrigerate overnight.
The day of assembly:
For the swiss meringue buttercream; whisk together the egg whites, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer, only to combine. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and cook until it reaches 70°C, whisking occasionally. If you don’t have a thermometer, it should be hot to the touch as well as feel smooth when rubbed between your index finger and thumb (meaning the sugar has melted). Whisk the cooked egg whites on high on your stand mixer until you have a cooled and fluffy meringue. Turn the mixer down to medium speed and add in the softened butter in small chunks. Once all the butter has been added, whip the buttercream on high until light and fluffy. Add in your colouring and set aside until needed.
For the cream cheese whipped ganache, pour the chilled ganache you made yesterday into a bowl and add the cream cheese on top. Whip the ganache until light and fluffy. Be careful not to overwhip here. Place the ganache into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip.
Warm the honey and milk for the soak together and set aside.
To assemble: Take the carrot cake from the fridge and cut off the domed top. Cut the cake in half horizontally so that you have two layers. Dab a little buttercream onto the plate you’d like to build the cake on followed by one layer of carrot cake, cut side up. Soak the sponge with the warm honey milk. Spread a generous layer of the whipped cream cheese ganache on top, reserving enough to pipe a line around the edge to keep the marmalade in. Spoon in the marmalade to cover the middle in a thin even layer. Soak the second sponge on the cut side before placing it on top, cut side down. Run a small palette knife around the side of the cake to smooth the filling before placing it in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour to firm up.
To finish: Take the cake from the fridge and coat it in a thin layer of buttercream to contain the cake crumbs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before doing your final coat of buttercream and decorating with piping, marmalade, flowers and orange segments.