Rutabaga spice cake with vanilla frosting

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O.K. I know it sounds different, but before you write it off, let me explain. 

I had never in my life heard of or thought about making a cake with a rutabaga before, as delicious as they may be. But I am so glad I decided to try this cake, not only is it very moist, it's beyond good. It tastes to me, exactly like a carrot cake, but the rutabaga is actually sweeter, and you would absolutely never know it's there. It's a fragrant moist cake with ginger and cinnamon. It's probably nice on it's own, but I added vanilla frosting to mine, which to me, made it a whole lot better. I'm telling you this is worth a try, not only is it a super simple cake recipe, you might end up liking it more than you would ever imagine! 

It will be a staple in our home from now on, especially for cold evenings to be enjoyed with a hot toddy or cup of tea by the fire. You can whip it together quickly so it's also great for emergency company or an emergency sweet tooth fix.

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For the cake:

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp each of salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda
1 cup grated peeled Rutabaga
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup of molasses
1/2 cup milk

For the icing:

2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Shred your rutabaga.

In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients and then add the wet, stir until mixed well, then mix in the rutabaga. Pour into a greased 8 inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the icing, mix all ingredients well. Using a butter knife spread the icing on the cake. I added colored sugar to mine for decoration. 

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Who knew rutabagas would make such great cake! 

Comments

I hadn't thought of using rutabaga for sweets but I don't know why not. Parsnips are used, so why not rutabaga??? :) Looks delicious.
It is amazing what vegetables actually make really good cakes. Well everybody knows of the carrot cake,and than there is a tomatoe cake and a beet cake. And they all taste extremely delicious. Now I can another recipe-thanks Donna.

I wonder what other veggies are made into cakes?!
jaz@octoberfarm said…
that looks so good. i can almost smell it! i am so happy to see you cooking!
The JR said…
as much as I love veggies, I've never even had a rutabaga in my house

looks good!
I am so intrigued! I've never heard of using rutabaga in a cake before, but it totally makes sense now that you explain it. I might have to give this one a try!
Henny Penny said…
Your blog is great. I Love all the animals and your beautiful place.
Suzan said…
Ohhh Donna -
I just can't imagine rutabaga cake as tasting good!! My Mom, from Southern Indiana - would fix rutabaga a couple of times a year and I'd gag when I smelled it cooking. She always gave that line about all the starving children in Africa and I was ready to join them - in the comforts of my bedroom!! My favorite cake is carrott cake - I just can't begin to comprehend the two as slightly the same. I like to try new recipes Donna- but will be passing on this one :-}} Do continue to heal!!
You know, I don't think I've ever even seen a rutabaga in real life. Thanks to google, I saw that they look like turnips. And the dishes it complemented were none that appealed to me either. But I did see that it's a good crop for livestock. So I will probably not try it, but I'll tuck it away for my future farm.
I'm glad you are up to cooking a little more. It seems like you are getting a little better each day, which is wonderful.
Lana said…
I have never tried anything like this before, but it sure looks good. Mmmm!!

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