So who else has a stack of courgettes (zucchini)?
I’ve been practising my ‘mean’ gardener mode this year – planting less plants than I did last year – so I only planted 2 courgette plants. Just as well really as Alfie is not a huge fan of courgette, and the 2 plants have yielded quite a few courgettes. So we’ve had courgette salad, we’ve had bbq courgette, we’ve had courgette risotto… and now we’ve had Chocolate Courgette Cake!!!
That’s better!
Dee over at Greenside Up has a Courgette Cake recipe too – but sorry Dee I can’t do oil in cakes! I make a Pineapple Upside Down cake myself that uses oil – but I never eat it – although everyone tells me it is delicious. It is just a weird feeling in my mouth!!! (I know, no need to say it, I am weird!)
I told you earlier in the year how I received a free copy of Farm Fresh Recipes from The Missing Goat Farm. I’ve tried so many recipes from this book – I’m still loving it. I have adapted and adjusted this recipe from that book, and it doesn’t use oil.
In her recipe, Heather, uses stewed apples – unfortunately we’re close but not quite into apple season here yet – however
I’ve had a bumper crop of raspberries, and what’s not to love about the combination of chocolate and raspberries???
I will try the recipe using the stewed apples when we harvest ours.
There’s quite a bit of ‘making’ to this but it is worth the effort.
I have served this to a number of guests and visitors and all have given it a major thumbs up…. while I left them guessing what the ‘secret’ ingredient was. None guessed courgette 🙂
Ingredients:
- 325 g spelt flour (or plain flour)
- 50 g Green & Blacks Cocoa Powder
- 3 teasps. baking powder
- 1.5 teasps. bread soda
- 2 teasps. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 200 g sugar
- 200 g butter
- 3 eggs
- 2 teasps. vanilla extract
- 120 ml milk (plus extra)
- 200 g raspberries
- 300 g grated courgette
- 175 g Lily O’Brien’s chocolate drops – melted
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C, Gas 4. Grease a swiss roll tin (23 x 33 cm).
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Beat the sugar and butter together in a separate bowl until light and creamy. Add the eggs and the vanilla essence and beat until smooth.
Add the milk (more about this later) and raspberries and continue mixing.
Pour the wet mixture into the flour bowl and blend. Add the grated courgette and melted chocolate and mix through.
Now if you’ve used spelt flour you may need to add more milk to the mixture – I always find spelt flour takes more liquid. If you think the mixture is too thick add a few more tablespoons of milk – you need to achieve a ‘pouring’ consistency.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Let the cake cool a little before turning out. Cool further on a wire rack, so that it is completely cool before you cut into squares.
Absolutely delicious served with home-made ice-cream.
Thanks for the link Margaret and I’m now going to eat my ‘oily’ cakes much slower as I can’t say that I’ve noticed it as an ingredient in them before and am curious! I like the sound of the raspberries in yours but the birds got to ours before I’d picked a bowlful (makes note to net next year).
Oh Lord, Dee, I didn’t mean that your cake was oily…. seriously it is just me! I can’t do sandwiches done on sandwich maker either!!!
I don’t know how our raspberries survived – other than we have an awful lot of them. I got about a handful of strawberries compared to your haul!
Ooohhh, can I drop in and steal your china? Please? I`ll have some of that courgette cake too, while I`m at it. Can`t believe it can be cooked as a cake! How cool is that? Not as cool as your ice cream, of course!
You must come visit and I will show you my secret small supply of ‘vintage’ china…. and the cake is cool and another teenage project !!! really!!
Haha, don’t worry, I didn’t take it that way at all. Im just curious to really taste the difference now 🙂 I’m not a fan of sandwich toasters either.
see there you go …. think sandwich maker next time your eating cake 🙂
I hope it’s on the menu when we visit 😉
Of course, my dear!
Courgette…… should be banned… as a vegetable. Re classify as a fruit and use only in chocolate cakes much more sensible
See folks…. I have a battle on my hands 🙂
Raspberries added to a chocolate and courgette cake has got to be a superb enhancement. I’ve made a number of different courgette and chocolate cakes, but never one like this. I’m with you, go for butter every time.
Glad you like the raspberry addition! I love them!