I had some leftover root vegetables recently, so decided to use them up in the best way I could, not by making some soup, but by using them to make a cake. My family loved this recipe so much and quickly polished it off, but as it contains four different vegetables plus the orange, I’m counting a slice as one of your five a day.

In this recipe I guess you can use any root vegetable as long as the flavor isn’t too strong. Like I wouldn’t use celeriac, but sweet potato would be fine. For this cake I used one beetroot (uncooked, not in vinegar), one carrot, one parsnip and the leftover half of a small butternut squash.

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Leftover Vegetable and Orange Cake
Recipe by BBC Goodfood

Makes 10-12 slices

Ingredients

200g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing – 80p
140g sultana or raisins – 46p
Zest of juice 2 oranges – 60p
300g self-raising flour – 20p
300g light soft brown sugar – 80p
2 teaspoons mixed spice (I didn’t have any so used a teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg) – 2p
1 teaspoon ground ginger – 2p
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda – 2p
4 large egg, beaten with a fork – 60p
300g carrots, parsnips, pumpkin, squash or swede, or a mixture, grated – 30p
200g icing sugar or fondant icing sugar – 30p

These prices are an estimate and total £4.12

Method

Heat oven to 180C or Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 30 x 20cm baking or roasting tin with baking parchment.

Mix the sultanas and zest and juice from 1 orange, and microwave on High for 2 minutes.

Mix the flour, caster sugar, spices, bicarb and pinch of salt into a large bowl.

Mix the eggs with the melted butter and sultana mixture, then tip into the dry ingredients and stir in with a wooden spoon.

Stir in the grated veg, and scrape into the tin.

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until a skewer poked in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin.

Once cool sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in enough orange juice to make a runny icing.

Drizzle all over the cake and scatter with the orange zest. Leave to set.

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