Recipe For Apricot & Root Veg Cake With Honey Yogurt Icing

“Gorgeous root vegetables keep this cake deliciously soft and add a subtly sweet, earthy flavor, while apricots and pumpkin seeds give it a lovely texture. The creamy, slightly tangy yogurt icing rounds it off perfectly. ”

Ingredients:

* 70 ml cold-pressed rapeseed oil, plus extra for greasing
* 2 medium carrots, (100g)
* 1 beetroot, (100g)
* 2 parsnips, (100g)
* 1 orange
* 120g quality maple syrup
* 2 large free-range eggs
* 150g wholegrain spelled flour
* 1 pinch of mixed spice
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 60g dried apricots, preferably sulfured
* 40g pumpkin seeds, plus extra to decorate
* Edible flowers, to decorate (optional)

Yogurt & Honey icing

* 150g cheese cake

* 150g Greek-style natural yogurt

* 25g clear runny honey
* ½ teaspoon quality vanilla extract
* 1 lemon

Method:

* Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Grease the base and sides of an 18cm loose-bottomed cake tin with a little rapeseed oil, and line the base with baking paper.

* Peel and grate the carrots, beetroot, and parsnip into a large bowl. Finely grate the zest of the orange and add two-thirds to the veg (reserving the rest for the frosting) along with the maple syrup, eggs, and rapeseed oil. Fold in the flour, spice, baking powder and a pinch of salt.

* Finely dice the apricots, then add to the bowl along with the seeds. Mix everything until well combined.

* Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the tin after 20 minutes, until the top is light pinky-golden and bounces back when pressed lightly, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin.

* Meanwhile, to make the icing, whisk together all the ingredients except the lemon, and most of the reserved orange zest, until completely smooth. Squeeze in a tiny bit of lemon juice and whisk in. Cover and pop in the fridge until needed.

* When the cake is completely cool, transfer to a plate or stand, then finish with the icing, smoothing it all over the top of the cake with the back of a spoon.

* Decorate the cake with the remaining orange zest, extra pumpkin seeds, and edible flowers, if you like, then serve.

* This cake can be kept for up to five days in a sealed container in the fridge.

There You Go...!!!