Carrot and Parsnip Cake with Beet-Mango Sorbet

Chef/owner Michael Schafer
Sydney’s

To make his beet and cream cheese flowers, Chef Michael uses a 1/2-inch piping tip.

Ingredients
Cake
1 Tbsp butter, to grease pans
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt, divided
1 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup peeled grated carrot
1/2 cup peeled grated parsnip
3 Tbsp chopped hazelnuts

Icing
6 Tbsp cream cheese
2 Tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp beet juice

Sorbet
1/4 cup beet purée
3/4 cup mango purée
1 egg white
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Method
Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Butter and flour 6 muffin tins or mini loaf tins.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder.
4. In a second mixing bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Gradually whisk in vegetable oil.
5. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring gently with a spatula.
6. Gently fold in carrot, parsnip, and hazelnuts.
7. Evenly distribute batter into muffin tins or mini loaf tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Icing

1. In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese and icing sugar at low speed until creamy.
2. Add beet juice gradually until desired consistency and colour.

Sorbet

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients at medium speed until smooth. Chill in fridge for 20 minutes.
2. In an ice cream machine, run mixture for 20 minutes. In the absence of an ice cream machine, pour mixture into a stainless steel bowl and set it in freezer. Whisk sorbet in ten minute intervals until set.

Yields 6 servings