Carrot + Parsnip Mini Speckled Egg Cakes w/Meyer Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
So I really didn't know where to start with today's post so I'm just gonna start big. I'm not even sure I believe it but Fix Feast Flair was named one of six finalists for "Best New Voice" in the 6th Annual SAVEUR Blog Awards!! Somebody pinch me (ok, ok, please don't) but seriously thank you to all of you who nominated FFF and all of you who are reading right now!! I should probably tell you the story of the day I found out. Or maybe I should keep it to myself. Oh well, here it goes, just know that I wear my heart on my sleeve
Last week Thursday, I was sitting at my computer in an empty house, well, almost empty--Vienna was with me, responding to emails and watching pages load at a snail's pace (we don't have cable internet, it's dial-up guys--we're connecting to the world '90s style) when my inbox *dinged.* The subject read, "Congratulations - You're a SAV..." that's all the preview showed. That's about the time I started holding my breath. I immediately clicked to open and after reading and rereading the email twice, I started to sob. And not a violent sob, just a soft, quiet, the house is empty sob and maybe a I-think-I-held-my-breath-for-a-few-minutes sob.
After five minutes or so minutes, I decided I should share the news with someone. So I called my mom. And then I really started to sob. I think I said, "Hi. Mom." between my fits-of-tears. Her immediate response was, "Oh, no. What's wrong?" When I managed to tell her I was a finalist, I think the information didn't even register because she was just so relieved that I was ok. And I think her relief calmed me down because after that I was able to tell Moses and my father without crying.
As if those emotions weren't crazy enough, after I collected myself, I started to question the validity of the email. Is someone punking me? Gosh, that'd be a mean joke but I guess it's almost April Fool's Day...I've got an active imagination guys! When it was announced to the public, I think I held my breath for a few minutes but honestly, I was just so overwhelmed by gratitude, shock, and more gratitude. So thank you again to all of you who nominated FFF or any of the crazy awesome blogs out there, cause you made our days/weeks/months. If you'd like to vote for me or any of the other amazing finalists, please head over to Saveur anytime before April 30th.
But enough about me and my happy sob story, I want to tell you about these carrot and parsnip mini speckled egg cakes with Meyer lemon cream cheese frosting. Woah, that's a mouthful, huh!? And it is. A mouthful of spicy, sweet, creamy, bright, and delicious. The carrots and parsnips play so nicely together. There's the sweetness you'd expect from a carrot as well as the spicy notes from its cousin, the parsnip. That combination of sweet and spicy is enhanced by some cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves. Then Meyer lemons are added to both the cake and the frosting to tie all the flavors together. Finally, there's the whimsy of chocolate paint speckles, cause whimsy makes everything taste better, right!? Get ready for the best mouthful ever. Nick, if you're reading this, I hope you'll give this carrot and parsnip cake a try. (Back story--Nick is the most amazing Über driver I've ever had. He and I had the best conversation about our love for food/cooking/dining but he told me he's not a fan of adding parsnip to this cake!)
Carrot + Parsnip Mini Speckled Egg Cakes with Meyer Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Cake and frosting adapted from Joy The Baker
Speckles barely adapted from The Cake Blog
Makes about 6 mini cakes
INGREDIENTS
CARROT AND PARSNIP CAKE
- 2 c. peeled and finely grated carrots (around 4 large carrots)
- 2 c. peeled and finely grated parsnips (around 3 large parsnips)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 c. granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
- 3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice
- 1 c. walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
MEYER LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1-1/2 cup (6 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 4 - 5 c. powdered sugar
SPECKLING PAINT
- 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. vanilla extract
TOOLS
- 1 half sheet pan (18" x 13" x 1" high)
- Parchment paper
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon
- Toothpicks
- Wire cooling rack
- Plastic wrap
- Stand mixer
- Silicone spatula
- Egg-shaped cookie cutter or this template and sharp knife
- Offset spatula
- Piping bag fitted with round tip
- 1" - 1-1/2" pastry brush
FIX
CARROT AND PARSNIP CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350° F and move rack to middle of oven. Grease your half sheet pan with butter or cooking spray then line the bottom with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper. Dust with flour and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together grated carrots, grated parsnip, eggs, sugar, oil, sour cream, vanilla extract, Meyer lemon juice, and nuts (if desired).
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves and add that mixture to your wet mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon and stir to until thoroughly combined.
- Pour batter into lined pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until tester toothpicks inserted into the center come out clean, 20 to 23 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on wire rack then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and transfer to freezer till ready to frost.
MEYER LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium-low speed until smooth. Add unsalted butter and beat on low until throughly combined. Add four cups of powdered sugar, Meyer lemon juice, vanilla extract and salt and beat on medium-low speed until combined. If you'd like a thicker consistency, add more sugar. Store in refrigerator till ready to frost.
SPECKLING PAINT
- Combine both ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until cocoa is dissolved. Cover with plastic wrap till read to use.
ASSEMBLY
- Cut out eggs using egg cookie cutter or template and a sharp knife. You should have enough room to cut at least 12 eggs. Using offset spatula, remove eggs from pan and reserve scraps for snacking, cake pops, or any other use your heart desires.
- Fill your piping bag (fitted with a round tip) with about one cup of frosting and pipe to cover the tops of half your cakes. Top the piped cakes with the remaining plain cakes then frost with remaining frosting using your offset spatula. Note, you can do a thin crumb coat with the cream cheese frosting, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes then cover with an additional layer of frosting if you'd like a more even coating.
- Dip your pastry brush in the speckling paint gently flick the bristles with the hand you aren't using to hold the brush. Refrigerate cakes for at least an hour before slicing.
- Serve and enjoy!
P.s. Thank you so much, you guys. I don't even know what to say/think/feel other than thank you/WOW/gratitude. I am seriously about to pinch myself right now. ♡♡♡
P.s.s. Seriously, THANK YOU!!