{"id":313,"date":"2010-06-20T22:39:00","date_gmt":"2010-06-20T21:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gsu.eventmedialabs.com\/?p=313"},"modified":"2017-10-02T15:59:09","modified_gmt":"2017-10-02T14:59:09","slug":"courgette-cake-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greensideup.ie\/courgette-cake-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Courgette Cake with Lime Curd & Pistachio ~ Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"
We haven’t baked cakes here for ages and like the No 10 bus, they all come along at once! As a result I’ve been trawling through the recipe books trying to find ways of cooking courgettes (known as zucchini in several parts of the world)<\/em> differently.\u00a0I love them chopped and fried in loads of garlic and served with pasta and cheese sauce, Mr G isn’t that fussed about them one way or another. Our son claims to like them but is always full when it comes to eating them so they’re the last item left on his plate.\u00a0The girls refuse to eat them\u00a0point-blank.<\/p>\n Courgette flowers are like a burst of sunshine in the garden but the plants themselves can be very heavy producers\u00a0and\u00a0take up a lot of space. The flowers are edible (we’ve yet to fry them in batter as suggested) but if you pick them all, you may find yourself with no courgettes! \u00a0It’s recommended to place the plants a metre apart but ours is taking up well over that space at this stage.<\/p>\n Yesterday I harvested three courgettes and\u00a0today another four are ready, hence my search for recipes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n So here it is. The ultimate courgette recipe that keeps everyone in our household happy:\u00a0 Flora’s Famous Courgette Cake recipe found in Nigella Lawson’s “How to be a Domestic Goddess”<\/a>:<\/p>\n (Preheat oven to 180\u00baC\/gas mark 4)<\/em><\/p>\n For the cake:<\/strong><\/p>\n 60g sultanas, optional (but tasty) 2 x 21cm sandwich tins, greased and lined<\/em><\/p>\n If you’re using sultanas, put them in a bowl and cover with warm water to plump them up. Put the eggs, oil and sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy.\u00a0 Sieve in the flour, bicarb and baking powder and continue to beat until well combined.\u00a0 Now stir in the grated courgette and add the drained sultanas. \u00a0Equally pour the mixture into the tins and bake for 30 minutes until slightly browned and firm to the touch.\u00a0 Leave in the tins on a rack for 5-10 mins then turn out and allow them to cool until you’re ready to fill and ice them.<\/p>\n For the lime curd filling<\/strong> (or buy one from the shop but it’s very easy to make)<\/p>\n Makes 350ml: Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add all the other ingredients and whisk to a custard over a gentle heat. If it’s allowed to get too hot the egg will curdle which isn’t a problem but will explain the lumpy bits. \u00a0Let the curd cool before filling a steralised jar – or a cake – with it.\u00a0 Keep in the fridge.<\/p>\n For the lime and pistachio icing:<\/strong><\/p>\n 200g cream cheese Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth, add the icing sugar, beating well to combine, then stir in the lime juice to taste. Sprinkle the pistachio nuts over the top.<\/p>\n The Verdict<\/strong><\/p>\n We loved this cake.\u00a0 It’s a bit like carrot cake, light and moist and very easy to make. I also tried it out on a neighbour this afternoon who politely tried it though I could tell it was the last thing she wanted to try, but was then very complimentary and devoured every last crumb.<\/p>\n If you like the idea of making cakes with courgettes, here’s a chocolate and courgette<\/a> recipe that we had a go at too. If you’d like some other ideas for using up a glut of courgettes from fritters to soup, you can find some here<\/a>.<\/p>\nCourgette (Zucchini) Cake with Lime Curd & Pistachio Recipe<\/h2>\n
\n250g courgettes (2-3), weighed before grating
\n2 large free range eggs
\n125ml organic rapeseed oil
\n150g caster sugar, sieved
\n225g self-raising flour
\nhalf teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
\nhalf teaspoon baking powder<\/p>\n
\nWipe the courgettes with kitchen towel (don’t peel them), then grate.\u00a0 The coarse side of an ordinary grater is best as anything finer or smaller can make them mushy).\u00a0 When the courgettes are grated turn them into a sieve over the sink to remove excess water.<\/p>\n
\n75g unsalted butter
\n3 large eggs
\n75g caster sugar
\n125ml lemon and lime juice (approx 3 limes and 1 lemon)
\nzest of 1 lime<\/p>\n
\n100g icing sugar, sieved
\njuice of 1 lime, or more to taste
\n2-3 tablespoons chopped pistachio nuts<\/p>\n