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Parsnip-Pecan Cake with Satin Buttercream (Paleo, Gluten-free)

Updated · 22 Comments

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I made Parsnip-Pecan Cake with Satin Buttercream for my mom’s birthday celebration several years ago — the first year all of us went not only Gluten-free, but also Grain-free.

We spent a restful weekend at the coast. This cake added to the glory and fun of the retreat — and made our new diet a dream. Perfect for Paleo, GF and even GAPS.

Parsnip-Pecan Cake is an easy blender recipe! So quick to blend, bake and serve!

Buttercream frosting option

The Satin Buttercream is really special. It contains BUTTER and gelatin. Together ~ a dance of texture occurs.

If you like piping… you will really enjoy decorating this cake. If you don’t, well — this is one easy frosting to work with!

For dairy-free “Buttercream”, use this wonderful alternative recipe.

Ingredients in Parsnip-Pecan Cake

Parsnips, pecans, chia seeds … come together to make the cake batter:

  • Parsnips are super cool: Their starchy-good sweetness make them an excellent choice for the spice-cake genre. And they help make the cake sooo moist, like carrot cake, but better IMO.
  • The pecans function as flour, as do the teeny bit of chia seeds. The cake is soft but not crumbly and excellent the second day for breakfast. (wink, wink)

This recipe also contains: eggs, oil, honey, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Parsnip Pecan Cake

How to make Paleo Parsnip-Pecan Cake

This recipe is happily and simply made in the blender!:

  1. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Blend pecans and wet ingredients in blender, including: chopped parsnips, pecans, eggs, oil and honey.
  3. Add dry ingredients to blender. Blend just 5 to 8 seconds, to mix, and pour into cake pans.
  4. Bake, cool … add frosting if you wish, and serve!

Sooo good.

Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Parsnip-Pecan Cake with Satin Buttercream (see link for frosting recipe)

The frosting for this cake is amazing. It is glorious to pipe. If, however, you intend to frost the entire cake- top, sides etc, I recommend serving it room temperature. It firms up in the fridge and will not stick to the cake as well. I love it both ways. When I pipe, as you see in the photos, I personally like to chill it. The embellishments will also hold their shape beautifully if left at room temperature, though. You could always chill it and then pull it out 1 hour before serving for the best of both worlds.
Prep Time1 minute
Total Time1 hour 1 minute
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, British, French
Keyword: cake, gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, parsnip, pecan
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 285kcal
Author: Megan
Cost: $8

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs preferably pasture-raised
  • 1-½ cups pecans
  • 1 cup boiled and pureed parsnips
  • ¾ cup avocado oil or butter, melted (also okay to use: olive oil, or other solid fat, melted)
  • ½ cup honey
  • 2 Tablespoons chia seed meal , see method below in Recipe Notes
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda , sifted
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  • Grease desired cake pan(s) and line the bottom(s), too, with parchment paper cut to size. Preheat the oven to 325℉.
  • Place chia seed meal, cinnamon, baking soda and sea salt in a small bowl. Stir well to mix. Set aside.
  • Place remaining ingredients into blender: eggs, pecans, parsnip, fat of choice and honey. Blend for 30 to 50 seconds until the batter is smooth.
  • With the motor on, add the dry ingredients. Process just long enough to incorporate them thoroughly, without over-mixing, about 5 to 8 seconds. Use a spatula to quickly fold in any dry ingredients by hand, if needed.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or with dry crumbs adhering. Cool on rack before slicing or frosting.
  • When cake is cool, slice horizontally through the middle, if desired, to frost the center as well as the top, for a layered cake.

Notes

* For every 4 cups of raw pecans, cover with room temperature, filtered water by two inches, and 2 tsp. sea salt.  Stir well to dissolve the salt.  Leave out overnight at room temperature to soak. Drain in a colander; and rinse well.  Place in your dehydrator or low temperature-capable oven at 95-145 degrees.  The process of completely drying out the nut can take as long as 48 hours, depending on your dehydrator. To check your nuts’ doneness, let one or all cool to room temperature.  Eat one.  It should be very dry and crispy, no softness or chewiness to the inside.  The nuts are now ready for use in this recipe. They will also have a good shelf life and leftovers may be stored in a sealed container in your pantry.
** To make chia seed meal, simply blend chia seeds in high-powered blender for 10 seconds. I blend 2 cups at a time for best results and store leftovers in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 151IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg

 

Parsnip Pecan Cake

Find the Satin Buttercream recipe here.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ariana Mullins says

    5 stars
    This is gorgeous!! The buttercream frosting with gelatin is such a fantastic idea– will definitely have to give it a try!

    Reply

  3. Renee Kohley says

    5 stars
    This is so great! Your mom is so blessed to have you! What a yummy looking cake! Love the frosting – so great!

    Reply

    • Megan Stevens says

      Thank you, Anna. It is fun to hear about you growing them. Our kids love this veggie, as do we. I can add that to my Someday list of things to grow. Enjoy~ hope you get to make this cake!

      Reply
5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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