Summer is in full swing in New Zealand and we've got a glut of courgettes. So much so that I'm scared to go out to the garden in case more have appeared! I remembered my Aunt making a chocolate cake with courgettes in it when I was a child and thought I'd have a go at creating one in order to make a dent in the courgette population. The cooking time for this cake depends on your courgettes - medium sized ones have a higher water content so will take longer, small young ones that are firm fleshed will take less time. Test the cake with a skewer or slim knife blade and if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. Test the first time after 50 minutes, if its not cooked at that point then keep an eye on it regularly from there on. The cake has a lovely texture and is very moist so it could be served as a cake, or as a pudding. Enjoy!
Rate this recipe:- 10 minutes
- 50-80 minutes
- 12-16
- 350 g plain flour
- 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 100 g cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp groud cassia (or cinnamon)
- 6 scrapes of nutmeg (or 1/4 tsp ground)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 100 ml rice bran oil (or other light oil)
- 120 ml milk
- 375 raw sugar
- 3 free range eggs
- 2 cups grated courgette (gently packed into a measuring cup - about 3 medium ones)
- Pouring cream or yoghurt to serve
Preheat your oven to 180C.
In a large bowl, lightly whisk the flour, baking powder, cocoa (pass through a sieve to remove any lumps), cassia or cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together.
Beat the vanilla, oil, milk, sugar and eggs together in another bowl, beating well to ensure everything is incorporated together nicely, and a little bit frothy.
Mix the wet mixture into the dry mixture until it is just combined, then fold in the grated courgette.
Pour the mixture into a greased or lined 21cm springform cake tin and bake for 50 - 80 minutes (until a slim knife or skewer comes out cleanly). Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve with pouring cream or yoghurt.
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It seems that 8 plants for 2 people was perhaps a little over ambitious!!! Out of pure desperation I've grated a whole heap with the food processor and frozen them in 1-2 courgettes-worth packages in the hope that they'll defrost well enough to use in soups & curries later in the year. Fingers crossed, anyway.
I know that fear of going into the garden when the courgettes are in full production mode... I like the sound of your cake - will save the recipe and give it a go when we're having our annual courgette crisis!