Chocolate Courgette Cake: A Sweet Vegetable Traybake
A moist, tasty and not too sweet chocolate traybake with a crunchy top. You really wouldn’t know the courgettes (zucchini) were there. So this chocolate courgette cake is a good way to sneak some extra veg into the diet.
Along with the current glut of courgettes here in the UK, there seems to be a corresponding glut of courgette cake recipes. Guess what? I’m not bucking the trend. It took a while for our courgettes to get going this year, but they are now coming thick and fast. It’s courgettes for every meal at the moment so using them in a cake is merciful relief.
Chocolate Courgette Cake
I’ve made three courgette and chocolate cakes so far and none of them come from the three recipes I have in my cookery books. So, I thought I really ought to start ticking those off. This time I have gone with the one from the Riverford Farm Cook Book. Theirs is a large one and cooked as a traybake to feed the hungry hordes.
We were off to visit friends who were down holidaying in West Cornwall. So we needed something that would a) travel well and b) feed a crowd. Admittedly a small crowd, but teenage boys are not renowned for their small appetites.
The sugar gave the crunchy top I was hoping for and the cake was moist, tasty and not too sweet. The recipe had advised peeling the courgettes, but I’ve never done that before and couldn’t see the need. As I’d hoped, there was virtually no sign of the courgette. It was only on re-reading the recipe later that I realised I was meant to put an additional 100g of sugar in – no wonder it wasn’t too sweet!!!
They were most welcome after an energetic walk along the coast, which despite the thronging crowds in Porthleven was virtually deserted.
Other Courgette Recipes You Might Like
- Courgette chickpea pancakes with mango & cucumber salsa
- Courgette tempeh hash (vegan)
- Cypriot vegetable stew
- Spiced courgette fritters
- Sweetcorn & courgette fritters with chilli tomato sauce
- Vegan courgette chocolate cupcakes
You can also find over seventy zucchini recipes from food bloggers around the world in this post for All The Courgette Recipes You Will Ever Need.
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these chocolate courgette cake squares, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more vegetable cake recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Chocolate Courgette Cake. PIN IT.
Chocolate Courgette Cake Squares
Ingredients
- 450 g courgette (zucchini)
- 120 g unsalted butter softened
- 200 g dark muscovado sugar
- 125 ml sunflower oil (rapeseed oil would be fine too)
- 3 large eggs
- 100 ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 350 g flour (half wholemeal, half plain)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp demerara sugar (I used cardamom sugar)
Instructions
- Trim the courgettes and grate into a bowl. No need to peel.450 g courgette (zucchini)
- Cream the butter with the sugar until well incorporated and most of the sugar lumps have disappeared.120 g unsalted butter, 200 g dark muscovado sugar
- Beat in the oil.125 ml sunflower oil
- Beat in the eggs and carry on beating until the mixture weirdly resembles mayonnaise – in consistency if not in colour.3 large eggs
- Beat in the milk and vanilla extract.100 ml milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Sieve in the flours, baking powder, bicarb and cocoa.350 g flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- Stir carefully until all incorporated.
- Drain off the majority of any courgette juice that’s formed and stir the gratings into the cake mixture. You can keep the juice for soup.
- Scrape into a 9″ sq silicone cake mould or lined tin. Scatter the demerara sugar over the top.1 tbsp demerara sugar
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for 40 minutes until risen and firm.
- Cool in the mould or tin then cut into 16 squares.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing these chocolate courgette cake squares with me at Tin and Thyme for #CookBlogShare.
Just tried a chocolate courgette cake square…100% delicious & will be a regular make. Not too sweet as described & beautifully moist…my new food on the go, with coffee. Thanks so much Tin & thyme for sharing X 1 quick question on it…will this recipe freeze?
So pleased you like it and thanks for your feedback. I’ve not actually tried freezing, so I can’t say for sure. Generally cake freezes fairly well, but because this one is quite moist, I’m not sure if it will be claggy when defrosted. If you do try it and it works, do let me know.
I love that you’ve sneaked courgette into these! That means they count as one of your 5 a day, no? 😉 Eb x
Absolutely Eb, although you might have to eat the whole thing to get it
Courgette is the only veg I will entertain in cake! And I haven’t tried a choc version yet so this looks fab!
What not even carrot cake Chloe? It’s a British classic.
Yes this is perfect to convince my teens to eat a bit more veg! I’ll just hide it like I did when they were little. I’ve courgettes planted and waiting for a crop so suspect as usual they will all come at once so I’ve pinned to refer back to. Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Michelle
It seems to be all or nothing with courgettes doesn’t it? We’ve just sown some seeds, so I’m waiting eagerly for them to emerge. Courgette cake is a good place to hide them.
This is so interesting and unique recipe to use hen and duck egg! Sound lush!
Thanks Eileen. I always bake with duck eggs when and if I can get them.
Dom – well it would follow on well from the beetroot one 😉
Suelle – yes, ours haven’t done nearly as well as last year and lots of them are rotting as they grow too – lack of pollination we think. They are just about coming to an end now, usually we get them until the end of September.
Lucie – thank you, yes the courgette keeps the cake nice and moist.
Baking Addict – not the best photos of Porthleven ever, but hopefully gives an idea.
Janice – I caught up with GBBO on iPlayer and he peeled his courgette – seemed like a monumental waste of effort!
Astra Libris – I used to use hemp flour a lot and then stopped for some reason. Luckily managed to find a supply again. As for the friendship starter, it’s sitting in the freezer at the moment. There’s just never enough time to play! I do make my own rye sourdough though, so I added a bit of that to the 1st cake I made.
Jac – and have you made one?
Chele – it’s just got to be done 😉
Katie – they were really good, but not nearly sweet enough to be a brownie.
Kate – that one is on my list, I’ve also got the G&B one to try at some point. Who’d have thought there were so many chocolate and courgette cakes!
Tori – That sounds heaps healthier than a cake 😉
BVG – look forward to your courgette lunch post and yes, it is great feeling virtuous when eating cake ;-0
Nic – thank you, that was very kind of you.
Johanna – ha ha, yes a good combination – shame it was rather grey. Peeling courgettes seems like a waste of time, but each to their own I guess.
Catherine – ah thank you. Having your own Come Dine With Me must have been fun.
Gloria – thank you
Cooking Varieties – baking with vegetables is quite fun, especially when no-one can guess what’s in the cake.
C – your cake looked delicious.
Looks gorgeous and moist. I’ve just made my first chocolate courgette cake and wonder why I waited so long! I’ll have to investigate other recipes now!
hi choclette, never tried or seen this recipe before- guess i am no cougette nor cookie nor cake expert at all. would like to try yours, cos it looks so yummy
glad i blog walk to your site.. hi, i am from malaysia,do visit my blog , would love to read a comment from you too. have a nice day
Really love this cake!! gloria
mmm crunchy sugar topping; how nice does that sound?! Those photos are really nice; hope you had a ball! Also, I love Riverford Farm; I made their root veg soup for my starter on the wee “Come Dine With Me” competition I had with my friends and it went down a treat!
chocolate cake and the cornish coast sounds idyllic to me – I’ve never peeled my courgettes either – seems a waste of good greenery!
mmm, scrummers! And lovely timing, I’ve just included a link in my ‘M is for …’ post :o)
http://nipitinthebud.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/m-is-for/
I have a lovely lunch time courgette recipe to post soon (just have to do a bit of tinkering first!!)
I love health food when it comes in cake form!!!!!
How gorgeous. In the past I’ve used up the glut by making ribbons with a peeler and using them as mock noodles in Asian soups – but I have a feeling the husband will like them better in a chocolate cake.
A great way to use your homegrown veggies and feed a hungry horde after a long walk! Have you tried the courgette and chocolate recipe in River Cottage Handbook: Cakes? And of course the best thing about these bakes is that you feel you are being super healthy (well, I kid myself anyway!)
Those squares look so good and very moist and fudey, almost brownie like. Looks delicious
I have a brownie courgette recipe that I was thinking of trying, great minds obviously think alike ;0)
Love how you used hemp flour in these! I love baking with hemp flour, and I can imagine it would be so lovely and nourishing with the courgette in this wonderful cake – looking forward to fixing the recipe!
I too have been wondering about the baking powder in the friendship bread recipe! It just doesn’t make sense to me either… I would love to hear if you have success using the starter without baking powder! I’m also eager to venture into savory recipes with my starter…
Saw a guy making a courgette choc cake on Great British Bake off. Your cakies look fab.
Yum! I made courgette cake once and it was delicious. Im not surprised yours went down well. The view look good albeit overcast!
I have been craving brownies for the last two weeks and have a courgette sitting in the fridge to go in a chocolate & courgette cake.
Courgette glut? You’re lucky! Half our plants haven’t grown, and the fruit on the remining plants are rotting before they reach a reasonable size!
Your cake looks very good!
These look lovely – I’m sure the courgette gives these a wonderful moisture. Lovely photos x
they look damn fine and I’ve been looking for a courgette recipe for the tea room, so this is perfect, thank you x
Simply Food – an adventure worth trying!
A Trifle Rushed – ha ha, I ran out of duck eggs! I suspect the teenagers would have enjoyed it more if I’d put in the full amount of sugar.
Karen – thank you. We do live in Cornwall, but not in the holiday area down West, which is lovely. Looking forward to seeing your WSC entry.
WLM – the courgettes are quite hard to detect. It’s more about giving it a nice moist consistency and making you feel virtuous whilst eating cake 😉
Spontaneous Euphoria – I’m very lucky to live in Cornwall and you’re right, it’s a good combination.
Beautiful! I’ve always wanted to visited Cornwall. and these look delicious.. I am a recent convert to courgettes and chocolate.
Simply delicious!
does it taste courgettey or chocolatey? ? am scared to try but I guess beetroot works in brownies so why not courgette!!
Have a great time in Cornwall and that cake should keep the hungry hordes as bay! It looks delicious.
I made my We Should Cocoa entry yesterday, I will post it this week as soon as I liberate the photos from my camera!
Karen
I love the three eggs 2 duck and 1 hen! I bet these didn’t last long with all those teenagers about!
Wow courgette in cake that sounds very innovative .