Some vegetables are great additions to baking as they add natural moistness to the cake mix without compromising flavour and texture. An absolute stalwart vegetable seen in baking is the humble courgette, why fix it if it’s not broken?
The combination of oil and grated courgette in this recipe serves to replicate butter in traditional loaf cakes; using olive oil also adds a fragrant bitter note for those who are mad about sweetness in their sponges.
RECIPE:
FOR THE COURGETTE AND PISTACHIO SPONGE
2 MEDIUM EGGS
140g CASTER SUGAR (We want the brightness from the caster sugar, pairing with the lime zest, so maybe no swap?)
ZEST OF 2 LIMES
110ml OLIVE OIL (If you wouldn’t cook with it, don’t bake with it. But also, don’t break the bank with it. There are too many other ingredients here at play which won’t make it worth it. If you want to show off your fancy olive oil pour it over some vanilla ice-cream and be done with it. Ok I don’t know why I ranted there. Oh well)
200g PLAIN FLOUR (I would be cautious, i.e I wouldn’t, when thinking about swapping in other flours here. We need the softness plain wheat flour yields here - the courgette can make this loaf cake heavy if other flours are used. Sad I know. Another recipe, another time)
½ tsp BICARB POWDER
½ tsp FINE SALT
200g GRATED COURGETTE (approx. 1 whole courgette, skin-on)
100g CHOPPED PISTACHIO (reserve a handful for decoration)
FOR THE LIME DRIZZLE ICING
200g ICING SUGAR (sieved)
JUICE OF 2 LIMES
BEFORE YOU START…
Preheat your oven to 160c (Fan Oven 170c- 180c for other, less powerful ovens)
Grease and line a loaf tin
METHODS:
FOR THE COURGETTE AND PISTACHIO SPONGE…
Whisk the egg with the sugar and lime zest until pale and thick. Fold in the olive oil gradually. (I DO THIS BY HAND AS THE OIL TENDS TO DROP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BOWL)
Sieve the flour together with the bicarb powder and salt. Fold into the egg mixture (it doesn’t matter if you knock out too much air at this point because the courgettes are going to dictate the texture of the sponge here. But don’t be too aggressive with it, it’s nice to do things nicely. No?)
Finish by folding in the grated courgette and chopped pistachio.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until risen, golden and a knife comes out clean when inserted. Leave to cool completely (removing from the tin while it’s still warm but not straight out the oven BECAUSE THAT’S MADNESS. But also we need to get it out of the tin to a. cool quicker b. stop the edges drying out as the heat of tin continues to cook it. )
FOR THE LIME DRIZZLE ICING…
Combine everything in a bowl and mix with a metal spoon (USING A WHISK WILL MAKE YOU SWEAR AT THE WORLD. Everything will get stuck, nothing will mix nicely. Spoon all the way!). Add more icing sugar until you and have a slow dropping consistency from the icing. Use straightaway and pour carefully all over the top of the cooked, cooled loaf cake.
TO FINISH: Top the iced cake with the reserved chopped pistachio, sprinkle over the icing once just stopped and still ‘wet’ (i.e before it dries and sets and the pistachios will slide right off)
