A light, delicious and not too sweet courgette cake flavoured with lime and optional rum soaked raisins. Two green-flecked sponges are sandwiched and topped with a lime flavoured mascarpone frosting. It makes a perfect late summer layer cake, ideal for alfresco dining.
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We have a courgette glut. I’m so excited. We haven’t managed to grow any courgettes since we moved. But now we have an allotment and a small veg patch in the garden and the courgettes are doing their thing.
A Courgette Glut
Courgettes (Cucurbita pepo) also known as zucchini, are a variety of summer squash. Once you get the plants established, they’re easy to look after and can produce quite prolifically. We’ve grown many varieties over the years, dark green ones, light green ones, yellow ones, stripy ones, round ones but my favourite are Striato di Napoli.
Striato di Napoli are not only pretty with their alternating light and dark green stripes, but they have a lovely flavour too. They’re quite firm and they stand up to cooking better than some courgette varieties do. By that, I mean they have a good texture when cooked and are less prone to going mushy.
What To Do With A Glut of Courgettes
If you grow your own courgettes, you’re most likely going to end up with a glut at some point. But what a treat. They’re so easy to prepare, they make summer cooking a breeze. I have several recipes which I rotate through the season. They’re all delicious and all quite different from each other. So there’s no danger of us getting bored.
Sadly, I haven’t yet managed to write up the recipes and put them on the blog. I do have a couple though. You’ll find those with a selection of courgette recipes from other bloggers further down the post. And of course, there’s this not to be missed courgette cake flavoured with lime. You’ll find the recipe further down the post too.
Soup is always a good standby. It freezes well, so you can cook up large batches of it, put it in portion sized containers and pop them in the freezer. Come the late autumn when the nights get chilly, you’ll have some warming ready meals to remind you of those balmy summer days.
If you’ve really got more courgettes than you can cope with, your friends and neighbours will no doubt be delighted to take some off your hands.
Courgette Cake
This courgette cake is incredibly easy to make. It’s very quick too. This is because there’s no butter involved, so no need to cream butter and sugar together. Instead I use oil, so apart from grating the courgette, the rest pretty much involves mixing everything together.
It’s a fabulous cake for flavour and texture too. I haven’t made it in a long time, so CT was absolutely delighted when I baked one last weekend. It’s one of his favourite cakes.
It’s made with wholemeal spelt flour. Follow the link to find out why this is my flour of choice for cake baking. I haven’t tried it with ordinary wholemeal, but as long as you remember to sieve out the largest pieces of bran, it should still work well and be just as delicious.
I use a microplane* for citrus grating. Since I acquired one, I’ve never looked back. They’re so easy to use and clean and they don’t take up too much room either. It’s just perfect for the job of zesting the lime for both the cake and mascarpone frosting.
When it comes to grating the courgette, I use a box grater*. This is because it doesn’t take very long and there’s less fuss and mess than using a food processor.
I have some oddly sized silicone baking pans* that I use for this recipe, they’re 21 cm in diameter rather than 20 cm. So the cakes are a little flatter than they would be in a 20 cm cake tin and they only took 25 minutes to bake. In the recipe below, I’ve given baking times for 20 cm tins, which are a standard size and a lot easier to get hold of.
Lime Mascarpone Frosting
This mascarpone frosting flavoured with lime is absolutely dreamy. It’s one of those fillings and toppings that you’re hard pressed not to wolf down before ever it hits the cake. Or so I’m told. Unlike buttercream, it’s not overly sweet and the tartness from the lime juice cuts through any sweetness there is, so you end up with a light creamy frosting that’s not at all cloying. As a grand finale, there’s also a little lime zest to lift it and give it a few green flecks to reflect the flecked courgette cake upon which it sits.
Mascarpone cheese is a complete delight in itself, it’s just so rich and creamy. You could use another cream cheese for this recipe, but it won’t be quite as luscious. It’s very high in calories though, so a little goes a long way. You’ll find you only need thin layers to fill and frost the top.
It’s ever so easy to make. All you need to do is stir everything together and it’s good to go almost immediately.
There is one caveat, if you use the lime and mascarpone frosting, the cake won’t last very long. You’ll need to keep it in the fridge or a cool place if you want it to last more than a day.
Edible Flowers
There’s nothing quite like edible flowers to make a cake look pretty. When I can find anything suitable in the garden, I’ll add them. I strew a few anise hyssop flowers over the top of this courgette cake.
But please do be wary with flowers. Not all garden flowers are edible. Indeed some of them are highly toxic. So do ensure your flowers are of the edible variety before you use them.
Other Courgette Recipes You Might Like
- Chickpea courgette pancakes with mango & cucumber salsa
- Chocolate courgette cupcakes (vegan)
- Courgette couscous
- Courgette corn soup
- Miso muffins with courgette
- Three allium courgette tart
Click on the following link to find all of my courgette recipes. You can also find over seventy 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 try this easy courgette cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. 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 even more cake recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Courgette Cake. PIN IT.
Courgette Cake – The Recipe
Courgette Cake with Lime and Mascarpone Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
- 25 g raisins (optional) rum soaked raisins are fabulous
- 250 g courgettes (zucchini) grated
- 2 large eggs I used turkey eggs because I had them, but duck eggs or large hens eggs are fine
- 125 ml sunflower oil
- 150 g golden caster sugar
- ½ lime zest and juice
- 225 g wholemeal flour (I used wholemeal spelt flour)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Mascarpone Frosting
- 250 g mascarpone
- 125 g icing sugar
- ½ lime zest and juice
Instructions
Courgette Cake
- Soak the raisins in 1 tbsp warm water or rum for an hour, if using.25 g raisins
- Set the oven to 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) and grease two 20cm (8") round silicon moulds or line two tins with baking paper.
- Coarsely grate the courgette. I use a box grater as it doesn't take very long and there's less fuss and mess than using a food processor.250 g courgettes (zucchini)
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil and sugar until creamy. Finely grate in the lime zest. A microplane is fabulous for this. Beat again.2 large eggs, 125 ml sunflower oil, 150 g golden caster sugar, ½ lime
- Seive in the dry ingredients using a wide mesh sieve, but discard any particualy large peices of bran left in the sieve. Stir until just combined.225 g wholemeal flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Stir in the grated courgette, lime juice and raisins if using.
- Divide the mixture between the tins and level the tops. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cakes are well risent and the tops are firm to the touch.
- Leave to cool in the tins for fifteen minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Mascarpone Frosting
- Beat the mascarpone in a bowl until smooth. Add the lime zest and sieve in the sugar to avoid any lumps. Beat together with a wooden spoon, then beat in the lime juice.250 g mascarpone, 125 g icing sugar, ½ lime
- Sandwich the cooled cakes together with half of the frosting, then top with the other half.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing this recipe for courgette cake with lime and mascarpone frosting with A Strong Coffee for #CookBlogShare.
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Deborah says
Baked the Courgette Cake with Lime and Mascarpone Frosting today. Full of deliciousness. I didn’t have any spelt flour left so used plain wholemeal. This gave a moist but slightly crumbly texture. I imagine it has something to do with the gluten content. Still very tasty and a cake for the repeat list. The rum soaked raisins make your taste buds ‘pop’ and give the cake a little zing! Thanks for sharing.
Choclette says
Thanks for the feedback Deborah. Glad you enjoyed it. Rum soaked raisins are just fabulous and I keep a jar of them on the go because you just don’t know when they might be needed. Wholemeal flour is slightly more absorbent than spelt flour, so it might be that which accounts for its crumbly nature. But you’re right, it’s the higher gluten content that makes it more absorbent.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
They look so pretty! I have never seen a turkey egg – I shall have to ask my free to roam egg supplier if he has any 🙂
Choclette says
I tried them for the first time last year. Much like goose and duck eggs, they’re fabulous for baking.
Beth Sachs says
This courgette cake looks absolutely delicious and so pretty! I’m using lime a lot in recipes and the moment #cookblogshare
Choclette says
Limes are such wonderful zesty fruit. I adore the flavour and use a lot of them in my cooking too.
Louise Fairweather says
This looks delicious and the courgette would make it so moist. Thanks for sharing ~cookblogshare
Choclette says
You’re so right Louise, the courgettes gives the cake a particularly good texture.
sherry says
looks beautiful. love the flavours! rum-soaked raisins? Yay!
Choclette says
Thanks Sherry. Those rum soaked raisins are just fabulous. I have a permanent jar on the go.
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
I love courgette in cake! And adding lime frosting sounds divine
Choclette says
Lime goes really well with the courgettes and with mascarpone too I’ve found.
Christina Conte says
Oh the rum soaked raisins put this over the top! What a fab way to use zucchini! Love this, now I just wish I had some growing 🙁
Choclette says
Yes the rum soaked raisins make the cake extra delicious for sure. Do zucchini not grow in California? You might have neighbours that are desperate to pass some on.
Mandy Mazliah says
Looks so delicious and that frosting sounds heavenly. Thanks for including a link to my chutney recipe.
Choclette says
I am so going to have to try your chutney recipes Mandy. What a lovely way to use courgettes. And yes, that frosting is most delicious.
Jo says
What a lovely looking cake. The mascarpone icing sounds so indulgent too. I’ve never tried courgette in a cake but feel I really should considering I’m a big fan of courgette in general.
Choclette says
Courgette works really well in cakes. I went through a phase of developing various chocolate courgette cakes, but I’ve managed to whittle those down a bit now!
Jo Allison says
Love baking with courgettes and this cake sounds amazing especially with rum soaked raisins. Also how pretty the edible flowers look on top! Thank you so much for including my muffins too. 🙂
Choclette says
You’re welcome Jo, you’re muffins sound delicious. The rum soaked raisins are this cake’s pièce de résistance.
angiesrecipes says
This is definitely a WINNER with that lime mascarpone frosting!
Choclette says
It absolutely is Angie. A good excuse to indulge is some delicious frosting.
Michelle Rolfe says
Oh this looks tasty Choclette! Time I get baking! Thanks for including our courgette pasta! Cheers, Michelle x Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Michelle
Choclette says
It sounds delicious Michelle and I’m going to have to try it.
Chloe Edges says
Looks delicious Choclette, courgette is the only acceptable veg in a cake in my world so I’m in!
Choclette says
Hahaha, I keep forgetting what fuss pot you are Chloe.
Chloe Edges says
You don’t know the half of it!!!
Choclette says
LOL!
Kavita Favelle says
Yours looks like a much lighter cake than the only other courgette cake I tried, and I love the sound of the icing!
Choclette says
Oil cakes are often lighter but it probably depends on the courgettes used as well. I should put in a note about that. Young firm ones are what you want, not old watery ones.
Katherine says
This courgette cake looks so good. But that frosting? Way to take this cake to the next level! Sounds so good.
Choclette says
Every time I make this, I’m so very tempted just to snaffle the frosting and not put it on the cake. I have to give myself a very firm talking to.
Camilla Hawkins says
Yummy, I’ve never had courgette cake but have heard all about it. Your version looks out of this world good
Choclette says
Aw, thanks Camilla. It’s one I’ve been making for years, but I’ve only just got around to blogging it.
Karen says
Would this work with Marrows?? I’ve just come back from holiday and and my courgettes are huge!! Now frantically searching for marrow recipes.
Choclette says
It absolutely should as long as the skin isn’t too tough. Just grate the marrow, then stick it in a sieve with a plate over the top to press it down for 20 to 30 minutes to drain off some of the liquid.