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Home » Recipes » Baked goodies

Ginger swede cake

November 12, 2015 by Mandy Mazliah 6 Comments

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two separate photos of swede cake
iced swede cake on glass cake stand with single slice on blue plate in foreground with cake fork

This recipe for ginger swede cake is a lovely way to use up a leftover chunk of one of our classic British seasonal vegetables. 

iced swede cake on glass cake stand with single slice on blue plate in foreground with cake fork

It's the time of year when gnarly root vegetables like swede (also known as rutabaga) appear in our vegetable bag.

R and Miss R are, predictably, extremely suspicious of unfamiliar root vegetables.

If I attempt to serve it mashed in with potato then they can detect it immediately and all hell breaks loose. I never imagined how much drama could ensue over a meal. Sometimes it takes all my effort to keep my cool and maintain my "you don't have to eat it, just don't make a fuss about it" mantra.

iced swede cake on glass cake stand with single slice on blue plate in foreground with cake fork

A swede can go a long way

So, mashed swede not proving too popular, I've been on the hunt for new ideas. Last week's swede from our Local Greens bag amazingly stretched to three meals.

  1. I made the swede speltotto dish (albeit with pearl barley rather than spelt) from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Veg Every Day book, which fed D, Baby S and myself happily.
  2. I also mashed some of it with potato alongside sausages for our dinner another evening.
  3. However, I had a 200g chunk left so I decided to see what would happen if I stuck it in a cake.

Read my review of the new Local Greens vegan bag.

single slice of iced swede and ginger cake on small blue plate with cake fork

I finally found a way to get my kids to eat swede

One of the risks of recipe development is that you'll create something really horrible and have to throw it away. It doesn't happy to me that often, but on occasion it does and it's really disappointing.

This cake was a bit of a risk, almost as much as the celeriac flapjacks that I made recently but it's honestly a real winner. The fiery ginger taste goes really well with the earthy taste of the swede.

The kids loved it, although I didn't give any to Baby S because of the honey, which isn't suitable for under-ones. And, no-one could guess what the secret ingredient was.

uncut iced swede cake on cake stand

Other recipes you might like

  • Veggie sausage traybake with root veg
  • Mashed swede with nutmeg
  • Maple roasted swede with cumin
  • Spiced pear and blueberry semolina cake

Some of these recipes appear on my other food blog cookveggielicious.com

Pin this ginger swede cake recipe for later

iced swede cake on glass cake stand with single slice on blue plate in foreground with cake fork

Here's how to make ginger swede cake:

If you have made this recipe I would love it if you’d leave a comment and rating below. Thank you!

Please do not reproduce this recipe without permission.

uncut iced swede cake on glass cake stand

Ginger swede cake

Mandy Mazliah
This recipe for ginger swede cake is a lovely way to use up a leftover chunk of one of our classic British seasonal vegetables. 
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Total Time 55 minutes mins
Course Cake
Cuisine British
Servings 12
Calories 289 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 large eggs or two flax eggs - see notes
  • 100 g dark brown sugar
  • 120 ml maple syrup or agave syrup
  • 150 ml sunflower oil
  • 2 pieces stem ginger finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons syrup from the stem ginger jar
  • 175 g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 200 g grated swede

To ice (optional)

  • 100 g icing sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons cold water

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180°C(fan)/200°C/gas mark 6. Grease and line with baking paper a 20cm/8inch square cake tin.
  • Beat together the 2 eggs (or flax eggs), 100g brown sugar, 120ml syrup, 150ml sunflower oil, the chopped stem ginger and 2 tablespoons of ginger syrup in a large mixing bowl.
  • In a separate bowl sift together 175g plain flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 2 teaspoons ground ginger. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined and finally mix in 200g grated swede.
  • Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin before turning out.

To ice (optional)

  • Mix together 100g sifted icing sugar with a tablespoon of cold water. Add the remaining water gradually, mixing it in as you go so it doesn't get too runny. If you put in too much water simply sift in a little more icing sugar.
  • Drizzle over the cake and leave to set.

Notes

  1. To make 2 flax eggs mix together 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds (also known as linseeds) with 6 tablespoons of cold water. Leave for a few minutes until you have a thick paste and then use in place of eggs in this recipe. You can also use chia seeds. Read more about flax eggs.
  2. Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide only.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 90mgPotassium: 115mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 42IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 1mg
Keyword swede cake
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two separate photos of swede cake

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenny Paulin

    November 17, 2015 at 8:14 am

    What a genius idea! Swede can be quite sweet so I can see why it would work well inside cake x

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 17, 2015 at 7:44 pm

      It is really good, especially with the ginger. Thanks for commenting!

      Reply
  2. Kirsty Hijacked By Twins

    November 16, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    Oh wow this looks and sounds amazing Mandy!! I really need to experiment baking with more vegetables. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 17, 2015 at 7:44 pm

      Thanks Kirsty, root veggies work so well in cakes x

      Reply
  3. Hayley @ Snap Happy Bakes

    November 15, 2015 at 9:41 pm

    Ooo never thought to add swede to a cake. Definitely one to try I think! Thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare

    Reply
    • Mandy Mazliah

      November 15, 2015 at 10:10 pm

      Definitely try it! It's so good x

      Reply
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