Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 175g butter
• 250g brown/demerara sugar
• 100ml maple syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 250g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 250g parsnips, peeled and grated
• 1 medium eating apple, peeled and grated
• 50g pecans, roughly chopped
• zest and juice 1 small orange
• icing sugar, to serve

For the filling

• 250g tub mascarpone
• 3-4 tbsp maple syrup

Method:

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
2. Grease 2 x 20cm sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
3. Melt butter, sugar and maple syrup in a pan over gentle heat, then cool slightly.
4. Whisk the eggs into the mixture, stir in the flour, baking powder and mixed spice, then add parsnip, apple, pecans, orange zest and juice.
5. Divide between the tins and bake for 25-30 mins.
6. Cool the cakes slightly in the tins before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
7. Mix together the mascarpone and maple syrup, then spread over one cake and sandwich with the other. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.