readingChocolate Courgette Cake

Chocolate Courgette Cake
Recipe - 15 October 2019

Introduction

The courgettes give this chocolate cake a lovely, moist texture…people will never guess what the secret ingredients is, unless you choose to tell them!

Preparation

20 minutes

Cook Time

55-60 minutes

Serves

16

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

  • 120g unsalted butter, realy soft in pieces, plus more for the tin
  • 300g plain flour
  • 4 tbsp cocoa, plus more to dust
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 140ml sunflower oil
  • 400g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 140ml buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 180g peeled and grated courgettes, excess water squeezed out (prepared weight)
  • 150g 70% cocoa solids chocolate, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/340°F/gas mark 3½. Butter a 23cm square tin and line the base with baking parchment.

2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt.

3. In the bowl of a food mixer (or in a bowl with a hand-held electric whisk), cream together the butter, oil and sugar until very light and fluffy (this will take a good five minutes). Gradually add the eggs, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Gently fold in the flour mixture, followed by the courgettes and chocolate, and blend well together, being careful not to over-mix.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes. Let cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Sift over a little cocoa, cut into 16 squares and serve.

Copyright (c) Fiona Cairns, 2013. Photography by Dan Jones. Extracted from SEASONAL BAKING by Fiona Cairns published by Orion Publishing

Click here to purchase Seasonal baking

Courgette Brownie image
Fiona Cairns DayFour 211

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