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Home » Recipes » Cake

Grilled Apple Celeriac Cake

Published: Jun 25, 2014 · Modified: May 6, 2020 by Kate Hackworthy · 25 Comments

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This Apple Celeriac Cake is a delicious vegetable cake. The celeriac brings very subtle earthy flavor. It's then optionally grilled so the sugars char and get a lovely smokey flavour. I've then topped it with apple ice cream and salted bourbon butterscotch sauce. Bliss!

A slice of grilled cake topped with ice cream and caramel.

celeriac cake

Apple Celeriac Cake is a great way to use up celeriac (aka celery root).

It sounds crazy, but the flavors of apple and celeriac pair beautifully.

The flavor of the celeriac fades, but leaves a very subtle earthy note to the zingy apple cake.

As if that's not crazy enough, I've grilled the cake to get it nice and smokey!

The sugars char and give it a lovely crispy exterior with a soft tender inside.

I've then topped it with apple ice cream and salted bourbon butterscotch sauce. Bliss!

grilled cake

Not content with the craziness of putting vegetables into cake, now I've made a barbecued cake!

Trust me, you want to try grilling cake.

The char lines impart a wonderful smokey flavour and it makes the outside beautifully hot and crispy.

A wonderful way to finish a BBQ party.

Looking down at a slice of grilled cake topped with ice cream and caramel.

Grilling

The sun shines and we cook over flame.

It is tradition.

There is a certain ceremony. Thick black lines impart their char upon the food as the smoke curls into the air and wafts its scent upon the neighbour's washing.

We barbecue meat like paleo cavemen.

Or maybe halloumi, peppers, skewers. We make bowls of salad, place multiple bottles of coloured sauces on the table, smile.

Dessert is an afterthought or a grilled nectarine.

But how about cake? Grilled cake.

A friend told me about barbecued cake long ago, and I only just now got around to making it.

Why, oh why, did I wait so long?

The white hot metal grid sears across the sweet cake and gives it a crispy sweet smokey taste and texture as it caramelizes the sugars. The celeriac (celery root) adds mildly earthy notes against the tart apple in the cake.

A warmed, barbecued, cake topped with cold apple ice cream and drizzled in a sweet-salty butterscotch booze sauce.

That, my friends, is how to finish a barbecue meal.

If you have leftover celeriac, try this roasted celeriac with walnuts.

A slice of grilled cake topped with ice cream and caramel.

Quarantine

There is a pox upon my house. My two-year-old daughter smiles up at me with her spotty face. She scratches, she moans, she is bored out of her tiny mind. We are quarantined. Banished from preschool and playgroups. Libraries and the park. Not for lack of trying, her brother has not yet caught her plague, yet he must join in the confinement. Our little colony must make our own entertainment within the prison of the house and garden.

Staring out of the window, the children watch wistfully at the freedoms of others that have cruelly been taken from them. I rack my brain for ideas on how to amuse the little ones. We've had a rather over-the-top birthday party for their favourite teddies. We've turned the garden into a water park. Today is the Great Baby Bake Off. No celeriac cake though.

The unmistakable scent of the thick pink lotion wafts through the house on the summer breeze, making them feel fine, blowing through the jasmine of their minds. Manicures are performed daily. Baths contain socks full of porridge oats. Nights are restless.

And so, as the sun beats down upon the garden of our little bubble-world, we barbecue. We barbecue cake.

get the apple celeriac cake recipe

This Apple Celeriac Cake is a delicious vegetable cake. The celeriac brings very subtle earthy flavor. It's then optionally grilled so the sugars char and get a lovely smokey flavour. I've then topped it with apple ice cream and salted bourbon butterscotch sauce. Bliss!

📖 Recipe

A slice of grilled cake topped with ice cream and caramel.

Grilled Celeriac and Apple Cake with Apple Ice Cream and Salted Bourbon Butterscotch Sauce

Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts
This Apple Celeriac Cake is a delicious vegetable cake. The celeriac brings very subtle earthy flavor. It's then optionally grilled so the sugars char and get a lovely smokey flavour. I've then topped it with apple ice cream and salted bourbon butterscotch sauce. Bliss!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 364 kcal

Ingredients
 

For the cake

  • 75 g ½ cup raw celeriac, peeled and grated
  • 1 apple peeled, cored and grated
  • 170 g ¾ cup butter, softened
  • 170 g ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 200 g 1 ¾ cup self-raising flour
  • pinch of salt

For the apple ice cream

  • 350 g approx 3 apples
  • 300 ml 1 ¼ cup cream
  • 175 g 1 ⅓ cup powdered icing sugar

For the butterscotch sauce

  • 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 150 g ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon
  • 150 ml ½ cup double (heavy) cream
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 170C/340F. Grease a loaf pan and line with baking parchment.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. And the eggs, one at a time, and beat each one in well. Mix in the grated celeriac and apple and then sift in the flour and salt and combine.
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for about 60 mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. If the cake is browning too quickly, cover it with foil loosely.
  • Cool the cake in the tin for 15 minutes and then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely.

For the apple ice cream:

  • Heat the sliced apples with a tablespoon of water in a saucepan over a medium-low heat until soft. Allow to cool slightly and puree with a hand blender or food processor until smooth. In a large bowl, whisk the cooled apple puree and cream, then sift in the sugar and whisk until combined. Chill in the fridge for at least half an hour. Churn in an ice cream maker for about 20 minutes, or until thickened, according to manufacturers instructions. Pour into a dish and freeze until firm.
  • To freeze it without an ice cream machine, pour it into a large lidded container and stir every half hour for a few hours until firm. The final stir can be done with a hand blender to make it smoother.

For the butterscotch:

  • Heat the butter and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring gently until it bubbles. Add the bourbon and without stirring, boil the mixture for about 5-7 minutes until it is a deep golden colour. If necessary, scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula, but don’t stir.
  • Remove from the heat and stir the cream into the sauce until combined. Be careful, it will bubble up considerably. Stir in the salt. Pour into sterilized jars and allow to cool.
  • Slice the cooled cake thickly and heat on the griddle pan or barbecue until lightly charred. Top with a scoop of the ice cream and a drizzle of butterscotch sauce.

Notes

Note: nutrition only calculated for the celeriac cake

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 185mgPotassium: 105mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 632IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts! I love seeing your recreations.

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Comments

    5 from 1 vote

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Wanda squire

    September 19, 2019 at 8:08 am

    5 stars
    Bbq cake? Amazing!!

    Reply
  2. ann harlow

    July 06, 2014 at 11:18 am

    Hi Kate this cake sounds just right for a BBQ desert and I know just the person to make me one, hope all the little people are getting over the pox. Love all your wonderful deserts! Annie

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      July 06, 2014 at 7:46 pm

      Thank you! The pox has returned for my other little one!

      Reply
  3. PassTheKnife

    June 30, 2014 at 3:21 am

    This looks divine! It has such a nice touch of summer to it. I'm sure this cheered your little sweetie up! I hope she's feeling better!

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      July 01, 2014 at 12:38 pm

      Thanks so much. She's feeling much better. Cake ALWAYS helps!

      Reply
  4. Medha @ Whisk & Shout

    June 28, 2014 at 3:06 pm

    This looks so delicious! Grilling cake? I'm down if it looks as yummy as this 🙂

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      June 29, 2014 at 11:47 am

      Thanks Medha, try it - grilled cake is great!

      Reply
  5. Aunt Bee

    June 26, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    Wow this looks so delicious!

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      June 26, 2014 at 8:37 pm

      Thanks Aunt Bee, it was indeed delicious!

      Reply
  6. Katie

    June 26, 2014 at 6:29 am

    BBQing cake - my word this is a game changer!!!! If that's what the pox confinement has resulted in then it's a master stroke!!!!
    Hope your little one recovers soon and in the meantime keep these recipes coming - I'm hooked!

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      June 26, 2014 at 12:22 pm

      I'm pretty sure that I'll never have a bbq without cake again! It was goooooooood!

      Reply
  7. Michaela ~ An Affair from the Heart

    June 26, 2014 at 1:20 am

    Wonderful post!! Gorgeous photography!

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      June 26, 2014 at 12:22 pm

      Thanks for commenting, Michaela!

      Reply
  8. Sarah, Maison Cupcake

    June 25, 2014 at 9:30 pm

    Celeriac is never the sexiest of veg but my goodness you've made it so. Would love to try this and I bet the toffee sauce totally brings it alive.

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      June 26, 2014 at 12:21 pm

      The sauce does indeed bring it alive. That sauce shouted at me, day and night, from the fridge. Spoon, sauce, heaven.

      Reply
  9. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy

    June 25, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    I love celeriac, but I definitely haven't had it like this before. They pictures are amazing 🙂

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      June 25, 2014 at 7:41 pm

      Thanks Dannii. I don't have it very often, but must use it more. Especially raw in salads - and in cake!

      Reply
  10. Elizabeth

    June 25, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    What a fantastic post! You made me lol with the wafting scent into the neighbours washing 🙂 Your BBQ'd cake idea is fantastic! Beautiful photography, lovely story telling and I wish your daughter a speedy recovery from her pox 🙂

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      June 25, 2014 at 7:41 pm

      Thanks so much, Elizabeth! I really hope she gets better, for my sanity...

      Reply
  11. Keep Calm and Fanny On

    June 25, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    A wonderful idea, with a wonderful tale wrapped round it as ever, thanks so much! I only ever really barbecue when I'm camping, but am always looking for some dessert ideas to fling on at the end! Only so many baked bananas you can handle... 😉

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      June 25, 2014 at 3:13 pm

      BBQ cake is a bit of a revelation. I love the thought of pulling out a loaf cake when camping and throwing it on the barbecue!

      Reply
  12. Kecia

    June 25, 2014 at 1:24 pm

    What a wonderful idea! It sounds so amazingly delicious!
    Get those pox out of that house! Hope everyone feels better soon!

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      June 25, 2014 at 3:10 pm

      Thanks, I want the pox gone NOW! The cake is fab. I will always barbecue cake whenever I can.

      Reply
  13. Lou

    June 25, 2014 at 11:30 am

    Kate I love so much this post, the picture, the text and most of all the recipe!
    I have heard of bread toasted on the grill.
    But cake!
    Marvellous recipe, gorgeous job.
    I wish you a lovely day
    Lou

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      June 25, 2014 at 12:04 pm

      Thanks so much, Lou! You're always so kind. xx

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. Here you'll find vegetarian recipes and vegan recipes celebrating vegetables, from dinner to dessert! If you love vegetables, you've come to the right place. About Me

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