maple parsnip morning glory coffee cake 
We are off to a great start in maple sugaring season here in Vermont, so I am temporarily straying from my usual vegetable side dish and weeknight meal line-up for a brief moment to bring you this moist and fragrant Maple Parsnip Morning Glory Coffee Cake. I couldn’t stop obsessing about the idea of using parsnips instead of carrots in a morning glory recipe. I wondered if it would taste good, so I just had to make it happen.
I ended up making morning glory coffee cake instead of muffins; a celebration worthy recipe, if you will. And I’ll just cut to the chase… it came out amazingly well. The maple syrup and naturally sweet parsnips and raisins make this ultra moist and fragrant. You can serve it for Easter brunch or during maple sugaring season or just for any reason really! It’s a delicious way to enjoy parsnips in baking!
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
  • ¼ cup old-fashioned oats
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons granulated natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Cake
  1. ¾ cup dark pure maple syrup
  2. ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
  3. ½ cup organic canola or avocado oil
  4. 2 large eggs
  5. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  6. 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
  7. 2 teaspoons baking powder
  8. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  9. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  10. ½ teaspoon salt
  11. 2 cups shredded peeled parsnips
  12. ½ cup raisins
  13. ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch spring-form pan or mist with cooking spray.
  2. Make Streusel: Rub together oats, flour, cane sugar, butter and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl with clean fingertips until crumbly. Set aside
  3. Make Coffee Cake: Whisk maple syrup, applesauce, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl.
  4. Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a small bowl.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir to combine with a silicone spatula. Add parsnip, raisins and walnuts and stir to combine. Spread batter in the pan, top with streusel and transfer to the oven. Bake until the cake is puffed and the top is golden, about 55 minutes.
  6. Let cake cool at least one hour. Cut into wedges and serve.