Honey Walnut Celeriac Cake Recipe with Maple Glaze

The long-lost celeriac cake recipe at last. This cake borrows inspiration from the classic carrot cake but takes a different direction, starring the humble and handsome celeriac and using no refined sugar. Celeriac cake sits between sweet and savoury: it’s undeniably a dessert, yet the subtle savory-earthy notes of celeriac remain noticeable, balanced by the mellow sweetness of honey and the rich crunch of walnuts. I finished it with a no-added-sugar vegan-style frosting made from walnut butter and coconut cream — a combination I was keen to try and very pleased with. I hope you enjoy it.

The Cake That Nearly Didn’t Happen

Some weeks ago I hit a low point while my flat was effectively a building site. Contractors had started work, vanished, returned, and stretched a three-week job into nearly two months. Before the disruption began I’d taken the precaution of photographing a month’s worth of recipes, aware my kitchen would be unusable for a while. On the final Friday of those prepared posts I sat down to write and discovered the last set of photographs were missing.

I searched memory cards and external drives repeatedly and found nothing. After a long, frustrating morning I gave up, felt defeated, and left the kitchen in chaos. My blog post that week was suddenly without its images, a disappointing end to what had been careful preparation.

Found at Last

As it turned out, the photographs had been on my external hard drive the whole time under the folder name “honey walnut celeriac cake.” I’d deviated from my usual naming convention, which places the main ingredient first, and that change hid the folder from my initial search. I’d even created an empty decoy folder labelled “Celeriac cake with honey and walnut,” which only deepened my confusion.

Beyond the naming confusion there was a psychological element — I was so worn down by stress and frustration that I didn’t look more carefully. The files were visible in plain sight; I simply wasn’t prepared to find them that morning. Once I stepped away and calmed down, the solution was obvious.

Lessons in Perspective

It’s easy to get dragged down by setbacks. When I was acting out of frustration I searched in a limited way and let the situation feel worse than it needed to be. In hindsight I could have approached the problem more calmly and methodically. Still, these moments remind me to step back, breathe, and try again.

Keeping a sense of humour and rewarding small successes helps. I always write “cake” in the front of any notebook labelled “reward” — a silly but effective incentive. For me, cake is often the payoff that helps restore perspective.

Cake, Glorious Cake

I prefer dense, substantial cakes — the kind that feel like a proper slice of sustenance rather than an airy sponge. Carrot cake is a long-time favourite, so it made sense to experiment with celeriac. Roasted celeriac develops a gentle sweetness, and that quality translates beautifully into a cake. The result is a hearty, flavoursome bake that’s different from the countless carrot cake recipes out there.

A Hearty, Filling Slice

This is a dense cake made largely with spelt, rye and grated celeriac, resulting in a dark, nourishing loaf that keeps you satisfied. The celeriac flavor is present but gentle, working well with the earthy flours, honey sweetness and crunchy walnuts. This cake is not aimed at popularity contests — it’s a project born of curiosity and the joy of experimenting.

I hope you try making it, enjoy the texture and flavours, and share it with friends. If you don’t bake it, I hope the story and the photos still brighten your day.

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