SOS Vegan Parsnip and Bacon Cake with Mustard Cream

It seemed a brilliant idea at the time.  I decided to veganise a recipe full of bacon and cream.  Mine would use coconut bacon and cashew cream.  The cake would be gorgeous wedges drizzled with the cream.  The cream was good but the bacon was too chunky and the cake fell apart after the oven turned itself off.  Not an unqualified success but we enjoyed dinner, nevertheless.

Frying the onion and bacon together was fine.  It looked right.  The cream was one of my better renditions of a cashew cream.  It works better in a blender than in a dodgy old food processor and I am learning to give it lots of time to thicken into a smooth cream.  I usually line my cake tins with some baking paper but decided it wasn't needed with this savoury cake.  Big mistake. 

This is how it looked when I took it out of the oven:

This is how it looked when I turned it out of the tin and reshaped it:

This is how it looked once it crisped on top and I flipped it (what a disaster!):

Yet you can see below that it looked more respectable once I had served the cakes with cream, nutty fries, asparagus and beetroot.  Next time I would season the parsnip cakes more, chop the coconut bacon finely, and cook it on a flat tray in smaller portions.  What I liked about it was the soft mild flavour of the parsnips with the smoky facon and the creamy mustard sauce.  A great combination of flavours and textures.

It is not actually parsnip season here but I was inspired by Ricki and Kim's SOS Kitchen event.  This month's theme is Parsnips.  To celebrate the theme, I am sharing some parsnip recipes I have loved and ones I would love to make:

Parsnip recipes on Green Gourmet Giraffe:

• Carrot, parsnip and cashew loaf (gf, v)
• Chestnut, parsnip and orange soup (gf)
• Healthyish sticky toffee pudding (gf)
• Parsnip, broccoli and gruyere pizza
• Parsnip, cranberry and chestnut roast
• Parsnip soup with walnut ravioli and carrot cream
• Smoky parsnip muffins

Parsnip recipes elsewhere in the blogosphere:

• Chocolate and parsnip loaf - Cook Almost Anything
• GF Parsnip and chestnut loaf (gf, v) - Channel 4, UK
• Parsnip, apple and orange cake (gf) - Apple and Spice
• Parsnip quinoa burgers (gf, v) - Allotment to Kitchen
• Roasted chestnut and parsnip soup (gf, v) - Diet Dessert and Dogs
• Roasted parsnip bread pudding - Martha Stewart
• Vegan parsnip cake (v) - Community Table

Parsnip and Facon Cake with Mustard Cream
Adapted from UKTV
serve 3-4

3 parsnips (about 400g), peeled and chopped
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup coconut bacon
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
seasoning
1 tbsp coconut oil
finely chopped spring onion, to garnish

Mustard Cream:

1/3 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp soy milk (optional)
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground chillis
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

Firstly pour boiling water over cashews in a small bowl and leave to soak while you prepare recipe (I think mine were soaking 1 hour).

Simmer parsnips for about 20 minutes or until very soft.  While parsnips are cooking, fry onions for a few minutes until golden brown.  Add garlic and coconut bacon and stir about a minute.  Add coconut oil and stir until melted.  Remove from the heat.  When parsnips are cooked, drain and mash with a pinch of salt.  Add onion and bacon mixture.  Check seasoning.

The recipe said to flatten into a greased 20cm cake tin.  Next time I will either flatten and shape into a circle on a greased baking tray (and flip in quarters) or line the bottom of the cake tin with baking paper.  Cook at 180 C (350 F) until crispy on top.  (My oven went out so I ended up crisping mine under the grill.)  Turn out onto a plate or chopping board and cut into wedges to serve.  Serve wit mustard cream.

To make mustard cream: drain cashews and then blend all ingredients in a blender for about 3 minutes or until thickened and smooth.  Check seasoning.

On the Stereo:
Just enough education to perform: Stereophonics