It’s always fun serving desserts that sneak in an unexpected vegetable. Not because of the nutritional value, but more because it’s a kick to share the news that the Red Devil Cake gets its rosy color not from food coloring but from—beets. A little perverse, perhaps, but nothing that generations of moms haven’t done.

So on to a new discovery: Maple-Parsnip Cake. The poor, underappreciated parsnip adds moisture, as in a carrot cake, but also a slight aromatic quality, something like a cross between celery and fennel. A lovely cake that calls on fresh ginger for zing and that is not heavy, despite using mostly almond flour. An easy, one-pan-and no-icing-needed cake that baked up nice and high, with toasted pecans on top.

Best of all, it  keeps for days. The most difficult part is peeling the parsnips (and maybe finding them at your local grocery). They may look like white carrots, but they can be tough little buggers.