The inspiration for this recipe was some canola honey I got sent. Now, canola honey isnt like any other regular honey and I'll tell you why.
For one is its texture. This honey is so buttery and velvety........like no other honey I have ever eaten. It also has a very thick consistency at room temperature.... I'd say quite similar to thick oats but if you warm it up, it takes on a more traditional runny consistency. Then lets talk about it's color. It has this off white, almost golden color that is absolutely beautiful. Again, I've never seen honey like this. Last but no least is the flavor of this honey. So the bees that make this honey feed only off the canola flower and you can immediately taste the floral notes in the honey; very subtle but noticeable.
Oh and the honey also isnt too sweet which as a person that isn't a sweet tooth, I really appreciate. All in all I really like the honey and would honestly prefer it in my cooking over regular honey. It's not great as a spreadable option for me because of the consistency.
Anyway, you came here for the recipe not a review lol. I decided I wanted to make something different that wasn't a glaze or a drink and so cake came to mind. I stumbled upon an interesting combination of coconut and parsnips and the baking principle is the same as with carrot cake so I figured it can't be that hard to execute. I loved the end result because in spite of using both honey and sugar, the cake wasn't too sweet.
Ingredients
300g all purpose flour
100g soft brown sugar
200g finely grated fresh parsnips
1tsp bicarbonate of Soda
2 tsp baking powder
80g desiccated coconut
100ml honey, plus 2tbs for the icing
3 large eggs
190ml vegetable or Canola oil
300g marscapone Cheese
A handful of coconut flakes
Pre heat your oven to 180°.
We start with putting together the wet ingredients.
In a bowl, put in the sugar, eggs, oil and honey. Whisk until combined then add your dry ingredients starting with the flour. Add one by one as you fold in the dry ingredients.
This should form a wet batter. Last, add the grated parsnips and fold in. This should make a slightly thick but wet batter.
Pour this into your lined baking tin and bake at 180° for 30 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Place the cake aside on a cake rack to cool for 20 minutes. As the cake cools, we'll make the frosting.
In a bowl, add 2 heaped tablespoon of your canola honey and the room temperature marscapone cheese. Use a large spoon to fold the honey into the cheese. (Don't be tempted to whisk otherwise the cheese breaks up and becomes lumpy)
Once the cake is cooled, spread the frosting over the top and decorate with your coconut chips.