Cake Break
There was me thinking I was all organised with my posting and then it hits me... I haven't posted a recipe in weeks!
Apologies. I have been baking (a little bit) but sometimes the photos just haven't been up to scratch, so I thought I'd wait until I'd got a couple of recipes to be proud of.
Way back in February I experimented with a courgette and walnut cake, and, inspired by Jo Wheatley's recipe in the Sainsbury's magazine, I decided to give courgette cake another try.
When building a recipe, it's always important to have flavour combinations sorted. I'm a bit of a traditionalist, and whilst I've been converted to salted caramel (could there be anything more delicious?), I like to remain predictable in my flavours. Cranberry and orange; apple and cinnamon; banana and chocolate. (I also like to bake with fruit.... a lot.)
So, first things first: what would you eat courgette with? My mind goes straight to a pasta dish I enjoyed in Dublin, with prawns, saffron, courgette and lemon. Fresh and springlike - the perfect combination!
As well as fresh fruit or vegetables, I can't resist dried fruits. So, in went the sultanas! This time I held back on the nuts (I was very tempted) in order to let the simple flavours sing through.
In reality, you can barely taste the courgette. If you peel it before grating, your cake doesn't even look remotely green! It just makes it more moist and slightly dense - which is why the sharp and sweet lemon icing is a perfect topping.
Jo makes hers into a layered cake sandwiched with lemony mascarpone; but for me, a loaf tin was enough, and a drizzle of glacé icing was all that was needed. Like most vegetable cakes, it will only keep for about a week or less, so eat up!
What are your favourite flavour combos?
Courgette and Lemon Loaf (based on Jo Wheatley's Courgette and Sultana Cake)
250g soft butter or cooking margarine
250g caster sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
zest of 1 lemon
250g self-raising flour
125g courgette (zucchini), peeled and grated
handful sultanas
Icing
Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
Icing sugar
1. Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a medium loaf tin.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs, adding a tsp of the measured flour if it begins to curdle.
3. Add in the flour and mix. Fold in the lemon zest, courgette and sultanas.
4. Pour into the tin and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until firm, golden and it begins to come away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turing out onto a rack to cool completely.
5. When the cake is completely cool, make the icing by mixing the lemon juice together with enough icing sugar until it forms a thick runny icing. (i.e gloopy). Drizzle over the cake, leave to set and eat in thick slices.
Apologies. I have been baking (a little bit) but sometimes the photos just haven't been up to scratch, so I thought I'd wait until I'd got a couple of recipes to be proud of.
Way back in February I experimented with a courgette and walnut cake, and, inspired by Jo Wheatley's recipe in the Sainsbury's magazine, I decided to give courgette cake another try.
In reality, you can barely taste the courgette. If you peel it before grating, your cake doesn't even look remotely green! It just makes it more moist and slightly dense - which is why the sharp and sweet lemon icing is a perfect topping.
Jo makes hers into a layered cake sandwiched with lemony mascarpone; but for me, a loaf tin was enough, and a drizzle of glacé icing was all that was needed. Like most vegetable cakes, it will only keep for about a week or less, so eat up!
What are your favourite flavour combos?
Courgette and Lemon Loaf (based on Jo Wheatley's Courgette and Sultana Cake)
250g soft butter or cooking margarine
250g caster sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
zest of 1 lemon
250g self-raising flour
125g courgette (zucchini), peeled and grated
handful sultanas
Icing
Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
Icing sugar
1. Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a medium loaf tin.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs, adding a tsp of the measured flour if it begins to curdle.
3. Add in the flour and mix. Fold in the lemon zest, courgette and sultanas.
4. Pour into the tin and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until firm, golden and it begins to come away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turing out onto a rack to cool completely.
5. When the cake is completely cool, make the icing by mixing the lemon juice together with enough icing sugar until it forms a thick runny icing. (i.e gloopy). Drizzle over the cake, leave to set and eat in thick slices.
WOW, courgette cake? Now that's not something i hear often;) But it looks well delish, especially with the sultanas and all that glace icing, yum!!! I'm a big fan of salted caramel or caramel as well, it's my absolutely fave flavor!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and thanks for stopping by my blog. And yes, you should definitely visit Copenhagen, it's a beautiful city and it's relatively close to you=)
I see that you're from Ireland. I actually visited Dublin a few years ago and loved it there! I went to Powerscourt House & Gardens, located in Wicklow, Ireland and that place took my breath away! And i have this thing for soap bars from AVOCA, haha random, i know, lol
Cinz
http://cinzee.wordpress.com
I made cookies once with caramel inside them - the. best. ever.
ReplyDeleteI know, I think someday my sister and I will take a long weekend over to the Continent - there are a couple of cities I've been dying to see! I actually haven't done that much travelling in the South but I would really like to explore a bit more; it has so much history. Haha! I love Avoca, it really is the most gorgeous brand.
Thanks for your lovely comment!