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Simply Scrumptious Courgette Cake

Recipe

Vegetarian layer cake made with courgette, nuts and lemon. Topped with avocado frosting.

Serves: 8 people   |   Prep time: 25 minutes   |   Cooking time: 25 minutes

British   |   Dessert   |   Vegetarian

  

Ingredients

Cake

  • 350g Courgettes (approx. 2)
  • 100g Dried Apricots
  • 4 x Medium Eggs
  • 250g Self Raising Flour
  • 50g Ground Almonds
  • 200g Caster Sugar
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  • Grated rind of 1 x Lemon
  • 125ml Sunflower Oil

Frosting

  • 2 x ripe Medium Avocados
  • 40g Icing Sugar
  • 200g Reduced Fat Soft Cheese
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  • 20ml Lemon Juice
  • 80g Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
  • 25g Sunshine Seed Mix
  • 5g fresh Basil Leaves

  

Method

To make the cakes

  1. Line 2 x 20cm loose-bottom cake tins with non-stick paper. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
  2. Grate the courgettes and put into a clean tea towel – squeeze out as much water as possible and then put into a large mixing bowl. Finely chop the dried apricots and add to the courgettes. Add the flour, baking powder, ground almonds, grated lemon rind and caster sugar and gently mix together. Crack the eggs into a new bowl and whisk with the vanilla essence. Then add the oil and mix together. Add this mix to the courgette mix and beat well to combine.
  3. Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until risen, golden and firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the tins.

To make the frosting

  1. Halve the avocados and chop roughly. Put into a food processor along with the icing sugar, lemon juice, soft cheese and vanilla essence. Chop the butter finely and add to the avocado mix. Process until you have a smooth frosting. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes to set slightly.
  2. Dry toast the seeds in a frying pan until golden. Assemble the cake by sandwiching the 2 halves with half the frosting. Swirl the rest on top. Sprinkle over the seeds and the torn basil leaves and serve.
  3. Voila! A lovely light, moist lemony sponge lathered with a rather tasty avocado butter cream. Perfect for the Easter weekend. And packed full of vegetable goodness!