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Home » Recipes » Cake

Vegetable Peeling Cake (carrot, parsnip)

Published: Sep 15, 2014 · Modified: Apr 23, 2020 by Kate Hackworthy · 17 Comments

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This tasty cake is made with waste! The vegetable peeling cake tastes like a carrot cake, but you can use whatever veg peelings you have. Try carrot, parsnip, potato and more. A great away to reduce food waste.

A piece of cake on a plate.

a vegetable peeling cake

If you love carrot cake, you'll love that this tasty cake has more than just carrots in it! This is a waste cake! Yes, you heard that right.

It's full of vegetable peelings left over from making a roast dinner. Potato peelings, carrot peelings, parsnip peelings etc..

Use whatever peelings you have, just gather about three large handfuls.

Root vegetables, potato peelings, whatever you've got.

It would be lovely with beet peelings.

Roast Dinner Waste Cake (Maple and Cinnamon Cake with Carrot, Parsnip and Potato Peelings) on a blue and white tray

vegetables to use

Give your veggies a good scrub and then save your peelings.

You'll likely want to go for organic vegetables so you're getting more nutrients and no nasty pesticides.

Sweet roots are excellent, but I also threw in some of the softer cauliflower leaves which left lovely flecks of green through the cake.

The vegetables are overpowered by the cinnamon and nutmeg, so it tastes like a normal carrot cake. This is a flexible recipe, so experiment and see what your waste cake tastes like.

Add nuts, perhaps a cream cheese frosting. Use up food and don't let it go to waste. Make waste cake and dance.

I've been making full use of my council kerbside compost collection these days but it's worrying how much of the food waste is fine to eat. This waste cake hides a load of edible veg that would otherwise be destined for compost, or worse, landfill.

more recipes to reduce food waste

Here are some more tasty recipes that will inspire you to reduce food waste!

Roasted Potato Peelings
Cauliflower Leaf Curry
Pickled Beet Stems

vegetable peelings on a wooden tray

vegetable cake recipes

Looking for more fun and tasty vegetable cake recipes? Try these!

Maple Parsnip Cake with Sweet Potato Frosting
Vegan Carrot Cake
Vanilla Spinach Cake with Vanilla Frosting
Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Ginger Frosting
Apple Kale Cake with Apple Frosting

get the vegetable peeling cake recipe

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #veggiedesserts. I love seeing your recreations of my vegetarian and vegan recipes.

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📖 Recipe

A piece of cake on a plate.

Vegetable Peeling Cake (reduce food waste)

Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts
This tasty cake is made with waste! The vegetable peeling cake tastes like a carrot cake, but you can use whatever veg peelings you have. Try carrot, parsnip, potato and more.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10
Calories 311 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 3 large handfuls of peelings from washed vegetables I used 1 small handful each of potato peelings and cauliflower leaves plus I large handful each of carrot and parsnip peelings. But use what you have!
  • 200 g 1 ½ cups self-raising wholemeal flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 75 g ½ cup raisins
  • 3 eggs
  • 120 ml ½ cup maple syrup
  • 120 ml ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 120 g 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Maple and Cinnamon Whipped Cream

  • 175 ml ¾ cup whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 9” cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment.
  • Gather all of the peeling scraps and blitz in a blender or hand blender until finely grated. Set aside.
  • Sift the flour, bicarb of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl (adding any sieved out bran back into the bowl). Stir in the raisins and finely blitzed vegetables.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, maple syrup, oil, yogurt and vanilla together with an electric mixer.
  • Fold the wet ingredients into the dry gently.
  • Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  • Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then remove and frost with the maple cream when it is fully cooled.

For the Maple and Cinnamon Whipped Cream Topping

  • Whip the cream, maple syrup and cinnamon together with an electric mixer until it starts to stiffen. Refrigerate until ready to use. Add more maple syrup if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 311kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 6gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 270mgPotassium: 256mgFiber: 3gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 3386IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 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 2 votes

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Patricia

    November 11, 2018 at 4:12 pm

    5 stars
    Just found you via Lavender and Lovage - what a great cake - I could't wait to try it out, I'm forever fascinated by curious ingredients in sweet recipes, and hooray for using up that kitchen waste - thanks we loved the cake. We used parsnip, carrot and potato peelings!!!

    Reply
  2. Sarah Trivuncic, Maison Cupcake

    October 01, 2014 at 11:53 am

    What a wonderful idea, who would have thought such a grand cake had such humble beginnings! Thanks for entering into CCM, it's been featured in the round up today.

    Reply
  3. Chef Mireille

    September 25, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    what an ingenious idea to use those veg scrapings

    Reply
  4. johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe

    September 25, 2014 at 11:20 am

    this cake looks so good - in so many ways - I keep scraps of vegie peelings in the freezer for stock but maybe I could draw on it for cake (though not sure the onion would go down well)

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      September 29, 2014 at 8:15 pm

      I imagine the onion would be pretty awful in the cake! I really should save my peelings for stock. Freezing them is a great idea - thanks!

      Reply
  5. laura_howtocook

    September 16, 2014 at 6:45 pm

    Than you for making me realise I don't need to throw away peelings anymore!

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      September 16, 2014 at 8:39 pm

      I'm sure we can all come up with lots of crazy ideas for peelings, Laura! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Fiver Feeds

    September 16, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    I could easily try this cake (maybe I would like it also) but could never make it. I just can't make a cake using vegetables, did not used to that 🙂

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      September 16, 2014 at 8:38 pm

      My site must be your worst nightmare 😉 🙂

      Reply
  7. Katie Bryson (@cookingkt)

    September 16, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    Now this is a total masterstroke... cake from vegetable waste! I just have to try this as I'm always throwing away my potato and carrot peelings. I adore vegetable based cakes so this is right up my strasse.

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      September 16, 2014 at 8:38 pm

      Thanks Katie. I just thought there must be a higher purpose for peelings so I gave them a really good scrub and made cake!

      Reply
  8. Elizabeth

    September 16, 2014 at 11:22 am

    I love this ingenious cake! Fantastic! (it would be a fab No Waste Food Challenge entry too) 😀

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      September 16, 2014 at 8:37 pm

      Oh yes! I've entered your challenge 🙂

      Reply
  9. kellie@foodtoglow

    September 16, 2014 at 9:37 am

    Fantastically frugal cake! I make a cake with these veg in them - but not the super-nutritious peelings. Wonderful idea and share. Pinning, Stumbling etc.

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      September 16, 2014 at 8:30 pm

      Thanks Kellie. I just hate throwing away all of those peelings so thought, why not make cake? It really is just like carrot cake. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Camilla

    September 15, 2014 at 8:38 pm

    Wow, what a truly frugal cake - top marks and looks delicious too! Thank you for entering #creditcrunchmunch!

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      September 15, 2014 at 9:02 pm

      Thanks Camilla! Definitely a frugal cake 🙂

      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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