When I tell people about this courgette cake, it's usually met with a level of scepticism... until they try it :) I originally got hold of this recipe when it was passed down to me by a wonderful late colleague Anna Fox (known by most as Foxy), who sadly lost her cancer battle back in 2019. She was a brilliant baker, and was the first person to introduce me to this scrummy cake, and I always think of her when I make it.
I've tried various oils and curds to see which work best and the recipe below is my favourite variation. I love using pistachios but if you can't get hold of them then almonds work just as well. Hope you enjoy. X
INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
- 2 large courgettes
- 2 eggs
- 125ml vegetable oil
- 150g caster sugar
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Filling and Topping:
- 200g full fat cream cheese
- 120g icing sugar
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- Handful of unsalted pistachios slivers
- Good quality lemon curd
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 160 c (fan). Grease two 8 inch round cake tins and line with greasproof paper.
Mix the wet ingredients together. Beat the eggs, oil and sugar until creamy. You can do this in a mixer or by hand.
Then add the flour, bicarb and baking powder to the bowl and fold in.
Wash, dry, then grate the courgettes (don't go too fine or they'll go mushy). Add them into the mix and stir in until everything is well combined.
Pour the mixture into the two tins and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before assembling.
To make the cream cheese topping, beat together FULL FAT cream cheese (this is very important or it will be too runny), icing sugar and the zest and juice of a lime until thick enough to spread.
When the cakes are cool, place the bottom cake on a plate and generously top with a good quality lemon curd (the sharper the better!). Place the second cake on top and spread with the cream cheese icing. Top with pistachios and a grating of lime zest and you're ready to serve!
This cake is so light and zingy, you'll barely remember that courgettes are the base when you tuck in, and it's so simple to make. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Happy Baking!