vegetables are fantastic in cake for added moisture and flavour - I have used zucchini occasionally though not for a while - chocolate zucchini cake is probably my favourite but I love a good chocolate cake - and I think you can see little bits of zucchini in the chocolate
Oh this is perfect timing - I have an allotment full of courgettes and most of them are the size of a newborn baby. I desperately need to use them up so I'll be making at least one of these tomorrow :)
Oh you are brave!! I've got a recipe for zucchini brownies I want to try out but I'm just not sure I'm ready for that whole savoury / sweet cross over. Fab looking cake though and your end result is pushing me further towards plucking up some courage of my own ;0)
This is my kind of cake - I love the mix of spice and nuts and the crumbly texture. I would love to try courgette cake but I've only just been forgiven for my brussel sprout cake so need to pick my moment carefully!
My family lived in the USA for four years and my mum brought back a fantastic zucchini cake recipe - we always call them courgettes, but when it comes to the cake it's 'zucchini cake'! I'm definitely going to have to give this one a go - and I love the idea of a lemon icing. I might try that with my mum's good old recipe!
I'm going to try and make my version of your Spiced Zucchini Cake as yours looks great! I sure hope that mine turn out as good as yours. Great using zucchini as don't normally use them. Thanks!!
The green flecks to look good. Before I started my blog I used to make a non chocolate one, but these days it's chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. And you are absolutely right, you can't tell there are any courgettes in there at all. I made one on Friday for friends and the unsuspecting vegetable hating son ate his piece with relish.
14 August 2011 at 16:06
Anonymous said...
thank you for posting this. i tried your recipe with plain flour and no walnuts, and it was great. handily used up an almost marrow-sized courgette!
28 August 2011 at 19:06
[Image]Do you call them courgettes or zucchinis? In our house they are courgettes, but I’ve decided to call this a zucchini cake as I think that makes it sound much more exciting and exotic.
[Image]
Before making this cake I had never tried nor baked a zucchini cake. I have seen them popping up on blogs for years, and every summer tell myself ‘I will bake one this year’ but somehow I never achieved it. However, this year I finally managed it and am now kicking myself for not trying one sooner, I can’t believe what I’ve been missing all these years!
[Image]
I was prompted to finally attempt this cake after Monica of Lick The Bowl Good recently talked about her favourite recipe for a chocolate zucchini cake. I’ve had another plain zucchini cake recipe saved in my ‘to bake’ file for years, but Monica’s recipe looked so good that I was torn between them. In the end I decided to use Monica’s recipe as the base, but remove the chocolate from it and use the other recipes additions of nuts and spices for flavour.
[Image]
I decided against making a chocolate zucchini cake as I wanted to see the grated shreds of dark green courgette scattered throughout the cake and taste its subtle flavour. I was worried adding cocoa would overpower this. This turned out to be a good call as I loved the appearance and flavour of the finished cake.
[Image]
The cake was incredibly light with a fine tender crumb and very moist from both the zucchini and use of oil instead of butter in the cake. I used a mix of ground cinnamon and a little freshly grated nutmeg in the cake which gave it a wonderfully spicy after note that went so well with the pecans I also added. My first slice crumbled slightly, this was partly because I used gluten free flour, but also because the cake was still a little warm – I couldn’t wait any longer! The following slices cut more cleanly.
[Image]
Once baked and cooled it was topped with a simple drizzle of lemon glace icing. You could add a thicker frosting or cream if you like, but I think the zingy tang from the lemon helped enhance the other flavours in the cake, rather than overpower them and helped keep everything light and fresh tasting. Sometimes simple is the way to go.
[Image]
The cake reminded me strongly of carrot cake (one of my all time favourites), only slightly more sophisticated with its streaks of emerald green. It’s the perfect summer cake and the ideal way of using up a glut of courgettes. I bet this would be a hit even with courgette/zucchini haters.
Don’t do as I did for so many years and let this cake pass you by – go make it now!!
Lemon Glace Icing
80g icing sugar
Juice of ½ lemon (approx)
Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease the sides and line the base of an 8inch/20cm deep springform tin.
Grate the zucchini and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together until lighter in colour and increased in volume.
With the mixer still going, drizzle in the oil until all combined. Add the grated zucchini and spices. Roughly chop the nuts into chunks and stir them in too.
Sift over the flour and baking powder before folding it in using a spatula, turning the bowl as you go. Do not over mix, stop once the flour is all incorporated.
Pour the mix into tin and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before running a thin knife around the edge and releasing the cake from the tin. Leave to cool completely.
Mix the lemon juice into the icing sugar, a little at a time, until you have a thick smooth glaze. Use a fork or tip of a spoon to drizzle the icing over the top of the cooled cake.
Makes one 8inch/20cm cake.
Note: If not making this cake gluten free then use plain flour and increase the baking powder to 1½ tsp
[Image]
"Spiced Zucchini Cake"
13 Comments -
vegetables are fantastic in cake for added moisture and flavour - I have used zucchini occasionally though not for a while - chocolate zucchini cake is probably my favourite but I love a good chocolate cake - and I think you can see little bits of zucchini in the chocolate
6 August 2011 at 15:15
Oh this is perfect timing - I have an allotment full of courgettes and most of them are the size of a newborn baby. I desperately need to use them up so I'll be making at least one of these tomorrow :)
6 August 2011 at 21:01
Hi Johanna, Yes I'm longing to try out the chocolate variety now.
Aveen, Let me know how the cake turns out!
7 August 2011 at 05:46
Oh you are brave!! I've got a recipe for zucchini brownies I want to try out but I'm just not sure I'm ready for that whole savoury / sweet cross over. Fab looking cake though and your end result is pushing me further towards plucking up some courage of my own ;0)
7 August 2011 at 08:01
My mum made a courgette cake for my Dad's 60th birthday last week - it was so moist!Will have to give this one a go
7 August 2011 at 20:40
This is my kind of cake - I love the mix of spice and nuts and the crumbly texture. I would love to try courgette cake but I've only just been forgiven for my brussel sprout cake so need to pick my moment carefully!
8 August 2011 at 08:19
I bought zucchini for Monica's recipe! but now I shall follow suit by leaving out the chocolate (cos DH is not a chocolate eater!).
Can't wait!
9 August 2011 at 14:20
My family lived in the USA for four years and my mum brought back a fantastic zucchini cake recipe - we always call them courgettes, but when it comes to the cake it's 'zucchini cake'! I'm definitely going to have to give this one a go - and I love the idea of a lemon icing. I might try that with my mum's good old recipe!
11 August 2011 at 11:28
i think im addicted to the deliciousness of adding zucchini to baked goods- case in point- this delicious cake!!! <3
12 August 2011 at 01:26
It looks so tender, Katie! I have never baked with zucchini - that cake looks like the perfect way to start. :D
12 August 2011 at 19:44
I'm going to try and make my version of your Spiced Zucchini Cake as yours looks great! I sure hope that mine turn out as good as yours. Great using zucchini as don't normally use them. Thanks!!
13 August 2011 at 03:36
The green flecks to look good. Before I started my blog I used to make a non chocolate one, but these days it's chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. And you are absolutely right, you can't tell there are any courgettes in there at all. I made one on Friday for friends and the unsuspecting vegetable hating son ate his piece with relish.
14 August 2011 at 16:06
thank you for posting this. i tried your recipe with plain flour and no walnuts, and it was great. handily used up an almost marrow-sized courgette!
28 August 2011 at 19:06