Courgette Loaf Cake Food

COURGETTE & LIME CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Oil a 900g loaf tin and line with baking parchment. Combine the sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl and mix well. Fold in the flour, baking powder and ground pistachios. Squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the grated courgette using your hands (don't worry about squeezing out every drop), then add this to the bowl along with the lime zest and half the juice, and mix to combine.
• Bake for 40-50 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Check the cake after 30 mins - if it's looking too brown, cover with foil for the remaining cooking time. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 mins, then transfer to a wire rack, poke a few holes in the top using a skewer and pour over the remaining lime juice. Leave to cool completely. Once cool, will keep frozen for up to a month. Defrost fully before decorating and serving.
• For the frosting, tip the soft cheese into a bowl, sift over the icing sugar, pour in the lime juice and mix to combine. Spread this over the top of the cooled cake, then sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and lime zest. Will keep chilled in an airtight container for up to three days.

FROSTED COURGETTE & LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter 2 x 20cm sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment. Zest 2 lemons, then squeeze their juice into a separate bowl. Put 200g butter, the caster sugar, eggs, courgettes, poppy seeds, vanilla and lemon zest into a mixing bowl. Beat to a creamy batter. Stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice, the flours, baking powder and ¼ tsp salt. Spoon the mix into the tins, then bake for 25 mins or until risen, golden and springy in the middle.
• Make a drizzle by mixing another tbsp lemon juice with 25g icing sugar. Put the remaining icing sugar and butter into a bowl, add the soft cheese, remaining lemon juice (about 2 tbsp) and grate in the final lemon's zest. Beat to make a creamy, smooth frosting.
• When the cakes are ready, cool for 15 mins in their tins, then turn onto a cooling rack. Prick several times with a cocktail stick, spoon over the drizzle and cool completely. Can be frozen at this stage for up to 1 month. Put one cake onto a serving plate and spread with just under half the frosting. Spread over the lemon curd, if using. Top with the second cake, spread the remaining frosting over the top and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

VEGAN COURGETTE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 900g loaf tin. Beat together the vegan butter block, sugar and lemon zest until combined. Add the plant milk and beat slowly to combine. Add the ground almonds, flour and baking powder, along with the grated courgette, and stir to combine. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin (it will be quite thick) and level the top. Bake for 55-60 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely in the tin.
• To make the icing, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and add 1 tbsp of the lemon juice and stir to combine. Add a little more lemon juice if needed, ½ tsp at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Remove the cake from the tin and drizzle over the icing, allowing it to drip down the sides. Leave to set for 20-30 mins. Cut into slices to serve.

BANANA COURGETTE LOAF CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/gas mark 4.
• Grease with butter and line a medium (2lb) loaf tin.
• Sift together the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon, with a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, walnuts and sultanas.
• In a separate bowl combine the remaining ingredients, before gently folding into the dry mixture.
• Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the cake is risen and golden brown. If the loaf is browning too quickly cover loosely with aluminium foil.
• Leave to cool in the tin before turning out. Serve cut into thick slices, spread with butter if liked.

CHOCOLATE COURGETTE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, mixed spice and 1 tsp salt. In another bowl, combine the olive oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla essence and grated courgette. Mix the dry and wet mixture until just combined, then fold in the toasted hazelnuts. Line a 24cm cake tin with greaseproof paper, then pour in your mixture. Bake for about 40-50 mins, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.
• To make the icing, place the chocolate in a bowl and bring cream to the boil in a saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until completely smooth and melted. Leave the icing to cool slightly and thicken, then spread it over the cake so it's covered and the icing starts to drip down the sides. Serve with a cup of tea or enjoy as a pud with a spoonful of something creamy.