Lemon And Courgette Cake Traybake Recipes

COURGETTE AND LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with non stick baking paper. If you leave some of the baking paper hanging over the ends it will be easier to remove your cake.
• If using flax or chia eggs make these now (see notes) or beat your eggs.
• Grate 2 small-medium courgettes into a colander (you need around 350g grated courgette) and use your hands to squeeze out as much excess water as possible. Leave in the colander and set aside.
• Mash a ripe banana into a large mixing bowl. Beat in 2 eggs or flax eggs (see note*), 75g** caster sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and the zest and juice of your lemon. Add 100ml sunflower oil and beat again until well mixed.
• Sift together 250g plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda and gently fold into the mixture.
• Fold in 50g ground almonds.
• Gently stir through the grated courgette.
• Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hour or until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Check the cake after 50 minutes and if the top is getting too brown cover with foil and return to the oven.
• Leave in the tin to cool completely.

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.

COURGETTE, LEMON & THYME CAKE

Steps:

• Start by making the decorations. For the crystallised thyme, put the sugar on a plate, brush the thyme with the egg white, then roll in the sugar. Shake off some of the excess, then leave the sprigs on a piece of baking parchment to dry out completely.
• For the candied lemon slices, tip the sugar into a saucepan with 200ml water. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then bring the syrup to the boil. Drop in the lemon slices and cook for 15 mins until softened. Carefully remove the slices from the syrup and place on a piece of baking parchment to dry. (Lift them gently as they will be quite delicate, and you want to keep them in rounds if possible.) Keep the remaining syrup for brushing over the cake.
• Heat oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of two 20cm springform cake tins. Make the four sponges in two batches. To make the first batch, in a stand mixer or in a large bowl using an electric hand whisk, beat 175g butter with 175g sugar and the zest of 1 lemon until creamy. Gently beat three of the eggs together in a jug. Gradually add the egg to the mixture, scraping down the side and whisking well after each addition. In a separate bowl, mix together 200g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt, and fold this into the cake mixture. Finally, stir in 300g courgette and 1 tbsp thyme leaves. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• While the sponges are still warm, prick all over with a skewer and brush over a little of the reserved lemon syrup. Once cool enough to handle, remove from the tins and place on a wire rack. Make and cook the second batch of cakes using the remaining ingredients - you can use the same baking parchment, just re-grease the parchment and the sides of the tins.
• When the cakes are cool, make the icing. Whisk all the ingredients together with a pinch of salt until smooth and fluffy.
• Using a cake turntable, if you have one, sandwich the cakes together with a little of the icing. Using a palette knife, spread a thin layer of icing all around the cake and chill for 30 mins to set. (This layer is known as a 'crumb coat' because it traps any loose crumbs on the surface of the cake - so when you put a second layer of icing on, the cake will be nice and smooth.) If you are short of time, put it in the freezer for 5 mins.
• Once chilled, completely cover the cake in a second layer of icing to achieve a smooth finish. Stick the crystallised thyme and candied lemon slices over one side of the cake and top as if they are cascading.
• Return the cake to the fridge or freezer until the icing has completely set. For extra shimmer, use a thin paintbrush to brush a little of the gold paint across the lemon slices for a burnished, autumnal effect, and dot pieces of gold leaf as you go, if you like.

LEMON AND COURGETTE CAKE TRAYBAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
• Line a traybake tin: 32cm by 22cm (12 x 9")
• Zest the lemon. Be careful to just get the yellow zest and not the bitter white pith.
• Grate the courgette/zucchini and pat it dry, squeezing it out a little bit, with a clean cloth to remove the excess moisture. (prevents a soggy cake!)
• Add the sugar to a large bowl, then scrunch the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers. This releases the lemon oil into the sugar and makes the taste more intense.
• Add the aquafaba, oil and vanilla essence to the sugar.
• Whisk the oil, aquafaba, and sugar until the mixture is well combined, lighter, and noticeably thickened.
• Fold in the flour and baking powder. Mix well to combine.
• Add the courgette and mix well.
• Pour the cake mix into the prepared baking tin, and spread it out to the corners.
• Pop in the oven and bake for 30-35 mins. Test with a skewer to see if it is cooked through. If it comes out clean, it's ready to take out of the oven. If it comes out a little gooey, leave the cake in for another 5 mins. The cooking time will really depend on how large your tin is, so if you use a smaller tin, adjust the time to be a little longer.
• Cool the cake in it's tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a cake rack.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the icing and lemon juice. Add more icing sugar if necessary, you want a thickish yet drizzable mix.
• Once cool, turn the cake onto a serving plate and drizzle with the icing. Add pistachios or other decorations as desired.