My lovely neighbour handed over some more Neeps (Turnips) the other day, this time instead of the normal Haggis, Neeps ‘n’ Tatties, I decided to make a cake! Well after all you get carrot cake & courgette cakes so why not a Neep cake? This is one of those recipes that doesn’t sound inviting but once you try it, it’s delicious and not what you were expecting. The little bit of Nutmeg through gives a lovely soft spice and the brown butter frosting giving that nutty sweetness. You have to give this a try if you have leftover Neeps (Turnips).

Makes 12 Cakes

250g Plain Flour

150g Grated Raw Neep (Turnip)

3 Eggs

175g Light Brown Sugar

2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

100 ml Milk

2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

2 Tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/2 Tsp Salt

For the Brown Butter Frosting

400g Icing Sugar

2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

3 Tbsp Milk

115g Unsalted Butter at room temperature

Handful of chopped walnuts or hazelnuts to top

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg & line a 9 x 9 inch Baking tin with paper and grease.
2. In a bowl beat the eggs, sugar, extract & milk until combined.
3. Sift in the flour and add the baking powder & baking soda with salt & the nutmeg, stir to combine and pour into the lined tin, bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool in the tin for 10 mins then remove the paper and place on a wire rack to completely cool.
4. Meanwhile to make the frosting, place icing sugar, extract & milk into a bowl and set aside.
5. In a pan on low heat add the butter and gently melt, once melted turn up heat slightly to a medium heat (do not boil) then stir until the butter becomes brown in colour & smells nutty (this will take about 8-10 mins). Remove from heat immediately, allow to cool slightly and add to the icing sugar mix, whip up until you have a smooth thick frosting.
6. Slice your cake into 12 squares and place frosting into a piping bag, pipe frosting on top of each slice and sprinkle with some walnuts or hazelnuts. Serve with a lovely cuppa! Enjoy.