Taylor Pass Honey Root Vegetable Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Prep Time 10 min, Cook Time 55 min, Serves 8.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup Taylor Pass honey
• ¾ cup plain yoghurt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 2 ½ cups plain flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
• 3 cups grated root vegetables (We’ve used carrot, pumpkin and kumara)

Topping

• 250g cream cheese
• 90g room temperature butter
• 3 tablespoons Taylor Pass honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
2. Whisk together the olive oil, Taylor Pass honey, yoghurt, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla essence.
3. Sift the flour, baking soda and spices into a large bowl. Stir through the brown sugar. Create a well and add in the wet ingredients. Fold together. Add the grated vegetables and mix through.
4. Spoon into a lined 23cm cake tin.
5. Bake for 55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
6. Use a stand mixer or electric beaters to beat together the cream cheese, butter, honey and vanilla essence until smooth and whipped. Spread on top of the cake. Garnish with a generous drizzle of Manuka honey and some toasted pumpkin seeds.