Courgette Cake with Lemon, Honey and Pistachios
Now I know it might sound a bit odd having courgette in a cake... but if you trust carrot cake and you trust me, you will have to give this bake a go! The courgette itself doesn't lend much flavour to the dish, it's just a sneaky way of getting a bit of healthiness into your treat time.
The predominant flavours of this deliciously moist cake are honey and lemon - a classic combination if ever there was one! The addition of pistachios to the top provide a lovely crunch in contrast to the light texture of the sponge. This is a great cake for guests but it's also just as fantastic alongside a cup of tea midafternoon...
Courgette Cake with Lemon, Honey and Pistachios
275ml light olive oil, plus extra for greasing
175g wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of fine sea salt
seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract
275g runny honey
3 large eggs
225g courgette
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
For the icing:
350g 'light' cream cheese
1½ tbsp maple syrup
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Handful pistachios, roughly chopped
Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Grease and base line 2 x 20cm loose-bottom cake tins with oil and non-stick baking paper.
Sift all the dry ingredients for the cake into a bowl. Pour the oil into a separate bowl and then beat in the honey and vanilla. Add the eggs to the honey mix, one at a time, beating well between each addition, then fold in the dry ingredients. Coarsely grate the courgette into a clean tea towel and squeeze well to remove an excess liquid. Mix the grated courgettes and lemon zest into the cake batter, then divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins.
Bake the cakes in the middle shelf of the oven for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the cakes look as if they are browning too much on top, cover them loosely with foil.
Take the cakes out of the oven and leave them to cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Remove the cakes fro the tins and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remember to peel off the baking paper from the bottom of the cakes.
Meanwhile, whisk the cream cheese with the maple syrup, half the lemon zest and all the juice. Spread half the icing over one of the cooled cakes, then put the other cake on top. Cover the top with the remaining icing and scatter with the pistachios and remaining lemon zest before slicing.
The predominant flavours of this deliciously moist cake are honey and lemon - a classic combination if ever there was one! The addition of pistachios to the top provide a lovely crunch in contrast to the light texture of the sponge. This is a great cake for guests but it's also just as fantastic alongside a cup of tea midafternoon...
Courgette Cake with Lemon, Honey and Pistachios
275ml light olive oil, plus extra for greasing
175g wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of fine sea salt
seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract
275g runny honey
3 large eggs
225g courgette
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
For the icing:
350g 'light' cream cheese
1½ tbsp maple syrup
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Handful pistachios, roughly chopped
Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Grease and base line 2 x 20cm loose-bottom cake tins with oil and non-stick baking paper.
Sift all the dry ingredients for the cake into a bowl. Pour the oil into a separate bowl and then beat in the honey and vanilla. Add the eggs to the honey mix, one at a time, beating well between each addition, then fold in the dry ingredients. Coarsely grate the courgette into a clean tea towel and squeeze well to remove an excess liquid. Mix the grated courgettes and lemon zest into the cake batter, then divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins.
Bake the cakes in the middle shelf of the oven for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the cakes look as if they are browning too much on top, cover them loosely with foil.
Take the cakes out of the oven and leave them to cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Remove the cakes fro the tins and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remember to peel off the baking paper from the bottom of the cakes.
Meanwhile, whisk the cream cheese with the maple syrup, half the lemon zest and all the juice. Spread half the icing over one of the cooled cakes, then put the other cake on top. Cover the top with the remaining icing and scatter with the pistachios and remaining lemon zest before slicing.
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