Topic: Chocolate Courgette Cake

[lottiedolly]

Now, this sounds not right, but i can guarantee is it fab, even my fussy husband loves this and could not wait for courgette season so i can make this.

You do not know that it has courgettes in, and when people eat it, they do not realise that it is there.

It is very very moist and a lovely choclate taste, please give it a try.


Ingredients

120g softened unsalted butter
125ml sunflower oil
100g caster sugar
200g soft brown sugar
3 eggs lightly beaten
130ml milk
350g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp coca powder
450g courgettes - peeled and finely grated
1 tsp vanilla essence

Put the butter, sunflower oil and both sugars in a bowl and beat them together until light and fluffy (i use my food processor). Gradually beat in the eggs and then milk.

Sift together the dry ingredients together and fold them into the mixture. Stir in the courgettes and the vanilla extract.

Spoon the mixture into a baking tin (20x35cm fits well) that is lined with baking paper. Place in over preheated to 190'C or gas mark 5 and bake for 35-45 minutes, (i test by inserting a skewer in to the middle and if it comes out clean it is done).

Cut into squares whilst still warm

I originally found this recipe when i was getting a little desperate over a courgette glut a few years ago and it has turned into a family favourite.

GIVE IT A TRY  ;D

[Bugloss2009]

my Dad's in charge of Doing Things With Courgettes- I'll give the recipe to him. (His courgette cake has walnuts in, and I don't like them, but I couldn't tell him, he'd sulk)

[Emagggie]

Getting sick of cougette soup here so I'll give this a go lottielady. It sounds delicious.
  ;D ;D @ Bugloss. We like walnuts so can you flatter him a little and ask for his recipe please?

[Bugloss2009]

i'll try scanning it for you. No charge  :D

I think it's in The Allotment Cookbook

[Emagggie]

Not in there. I googled it and there are a few to choose from, so don't worry. :) Thanks for the idea anyway.
It's in the oven lottielady.... ;D

[antipodes]

This is my recipe for same:
Cooks in a long loaf tin.
Ingredients:

    * 180g cooking chocolate, melted over boiling water
    * 2oog flour (either self raising or add 1 teas baking powder)
    * pinch bicarbonate
    * pinch salt
    * 100g sugar
    * 3 eggs
    * a splash of milk if it looks too thick
    * 2 tabs vegetable oil
    * 200g raw courgette, weigh it once you peel it and take out the seedy section. Good for using a large courgette that got away from you.

   1. Grate the courgette, then enlist the aid of a small child - put the veg in a clean tea towel and over the sink, wring up the tea towel until all the juice has come out of the courgette.
   2. Next, in a bowl, combine dry ingredients.
   3. Add the eggs and mix to a thick paste.
   4. Next, add the melted chocolate and oil, mix well.
   5. Add the grated courgette and mix. If it seems a little stodgy, add some milk - it should be slightly thicker than a normal cake batter but not too stiff. It should slide off the spoon, not stick in a big lump.
   6. Line tin with baking paper, bake in a preheated oven 180 deg C for about 45 mins. Test with a skewer, it is a moist cake but should be practically dry on the skewer.

Leave to cool, keeps a few days in an airtight container.

[antipodes]

And there is this one too for when you have too much squash or to use up squash flesh frozen...
Recipe: pumpkin chocolate cake
I sort of made this one up but it turned out to be absolutely gorgeous. SO much so that my kids didn't believe there was pumpkin in it! I used those very orange round pumpkins but any type should work. It makes quite a small cake so please adjust the quantities for a bigger one.

    * 1 small cup of steamed mashed pumpkin
    * 150g cooking chocolate
    * 75g butter or marg
    * 100g sugar
    * 2 eggs
    * 75g self-raising flour
    * pinch of cinnamon and pinch of salt


Melt the butter untill it is very hot then add the chocolate cut into small pieces. Leave to melt with the heat of the butter then blend till smooth.
Add the eggs and beat them in well, then add the sugar and the pumpkin and salt and cinnamon.
FOLD the flour into that mixture.
Bake in a moderately hot oven, 190-200 degC for about 15-20 minutes, it should still be melting inside.

[Emagggie]

How do you prepare flesh for freezing Antipodes? Didn't realize it could be done.

[kippers garden]

I make this and tell my daughters they are chocolate brownie and they don''t have a clue it's got courgette in.  When i have surplus pumpkin i sometimes use this instead of courgette.  The chocolate masks the taste of the courgette and pumpkin.

Apparently chocolate beetroot cake is lovely too but i haven't ever tried it

[nilly71]

The oven is bleeping, so it's ready :)

Neil

[Sinbad7]

Thanks for the recipe Lottidolly, made it today and it turned out a treat.  Not too sweet and not too chocolaty.  For me I am going to make a kind of icing or filling with fresh cream, I  thought it just needed a bit of a kick with something uggy.

Will never mind now all the courgettes piling up as I will make this time and time again.

Thank you for sharing it, such a relief to know what to do with all those courgettes.

Sinbad

[lottiedolly]

I am so pleased you enjoyed it, it is very moist and i am glad it is not too sweet, i think it must be an age thing when i shudder at eating something too sugary. I cooked a couple of cakes yesterday and am thinking of freezing one of them today ready sliced so i can just defrost a couple of slices as and when reauired, hopefully it will freeze ok.

 ;D

[Sinbad7]

It was even better last night Lottiedolly I had lashings of extra thick cream on it  ;D

[lottiedolly]

Hi Sinbad 7

I froze 2 cakes sliced and then took out a couple of slices to defrost. It worked out really well, made a nice change from freezing sliced courgettes

Kxx  ;D

[SueK]

How do you prepare flesh for freezing Antipodes? Didn't realize it could be done.

Sorry, not Antipodes, but one way we often prepare pumpkin for cakes, pumpkin pie, etc is to microwave them whole with a couple of knife cuts in them to allow steam to escape.  It isn't an exact science - I think I allow about 5 mins a lb - but, even with the job of cutting it open and scooping out the seeds, I find it much easier than peeling, cutting up, boiling, etc as the flesh can be scooped out from the inside.  If we want to freeze some, we just mash it up and put aside to cool and bag up later.  This is OK when you are going to use the cooked pumpkin mashed up.

[simmo116]

you see these rcipes are all very nice but i have about 2 ton of courgettes and even i cant eat that much cake....lol

[Sinbad7]

But simmo you can do like me and make soup and freeze it for the colder days to come.  Then make another 2 cakes and slice it and freeze it like lottiedolly.

You just mustn't give in and let these courgettes beat you LOL ;D

[Emagggie]

Thanks SueK. I was under the impression that courgette etc. couldn't be succesfully frozen without cooking first. That info helped me free up some fridge space. ;D

[lottiedolly]

Thanks SueK. I was under the impression that courgette etc. couldn't be succesfully frozen without cooking first. That info helped me free up some fridge space. ;D

I freeze mine 2 ways

I slice them about 1/4" minimum thickness and blanch them and freeze them in layers so when they go in a freezer bag they are all loose.

I grate them and freeze in thin layers that break up to go in a freezer bag, i then use them to bulk out casseroles, shepherds pies, bolognese etc, can be very versatile

Kxx

[Emagggie]

Thanks Lottiedolly. I Will grate them I think. Seems the quickest way. ;D