A U T U M N A L A B U N D A N C E
We've had so much from the garden this year, which is, by the way, fast becoming my favourite hobby, and if you've ever grown courgettes, then you know of the inevitable glutton of produce towards the end of the season.
I've never made a cake including courgette before, although eaten several and always thought they tasted lovely. After fritters, Korean breakfasts, and throwing a bit of courgette in whatever I've been cooking lately, I thought it was about time I tested out this courgette-cake-trend for myself.
When it comes to an experimental cake recipe, I always find lemon to be the perfect partner. Lemon and lavender, lemon and coconut, I've even enjoyed lemon, pear, fennel and ginger. This cake isn't quite that unique, but it's really delicious, has a lovely, moist crumb, and most importantly, uses up my spare courgettes! With it's adornment of creamy, mascarpone buttercream, a syrupy soaking and bittersweet candied lemons, this one is the perfect daytime nibble of the season.
I N G R E D I E N T S
170g salted butter
150g soft brown sugar
200g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
100g courgette (rounding up to the nearest courgette is fine)
2 lemons, zested (and juiced for the candied lemon)
1 heaped tbsp lemon thyme
Candied lemon:
1 lemon, thinly sliced
150g caster sugar
100ml water
Mascarpone buttercream:
100g mascarpone
100g softened butter
200g icing sugar
M E T H O D
one. // Line a 1lb loaf tin with greaseproof, and preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius.
two. // Start off by making the candied lemon. Heat the lemon juice, water and sugar until the latter dissolves, then bring to a gentle, rolling boil. Drop in your lemon slices and leave for 10-15 minutes, or until the lemon is soft. Carefully lift out the delicate slivers and place onto greaseproof to cool, keeping hold of the lemon syrup for later.
three. // Lightly whisk the eggs in a bowl. Sift the baking powder into the flour in another. In a third, or your mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest before slowly incorporating the flour and egg until the batter is fully combined.
four. // Coarsely grate the courgette, add this and the picked lemon thyme leaves to the cake batter and fold everything together with a wooden spoon. Gently decant into your lined loaf tin and pop into the centre of your oven for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean and the top is golden.
five. // Remove the cake from it's tin and leave to cool whilst you whip up the buttercream. Beat together the butter and mascarpone, before carefully incorporating the icing sugar. You can add more lemon zest here too to make it a lemon buttercream - there's just more of a chance it'll split.
six. // Once the cake is cool, pierce a few holes with a skewer and brush the top with the lemon syrup from earlier. As well as soaking into the cake, the cooled syrup seals in the top, rather like a tasty layer of lemon varnish, and stops wayward crumbs getting mixed up into your buttercream. Do a few layers.
seven. // Spread on the buttercream - feel free to pipe this on, although I love the more rustic finish from an ordinary butter knife - before garnishing with the lemon slices and a few sprigs of lemon thyme.
I think if really pushed for an answer, I'd have to plump for lemon as my favourite cake - I think it's that sherbety sweet and tart that makes it so moreish, and I think the herbs in this recipe give it a little botanical note that makes it all the better. And besides, with the courgette too, you could basically say it's 2 of your 5 a day - right?
If you fancy a more traditional lemon drizzle then have I the post for you right here - an oldie but a goodie.
P.S. behind the scenes, half of this cake did not get eaten, because the cat we were looking after thought it was hers.. She even managed to sneak her naughty little paws on it whilst it was wrapped in cling! Nevermind, an excuse to make another ;)
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