15 Feb 2015

zucchini cake / carrot cake

When life hands you zucchinis, make...
zucchini slice, zucchini spaghetti, roast zucchini, steamed zucchini, grilled zucchini, zucchini dipped in hummous ...

Yes, it's zucchini season chez Dig In. I love zucchinis (luckily), but there have been days when I have dreaded going into the vegie garden to see how many I will find, and how big they are. Because anyone who grows zucchinis knows: there's always one that gets away. That the day before was a wee petite thing, and the next was a granddaddy, a monster.

So yes, it's been 101 ways to cook zucchinis here. Okay, that is a slight exaggeration; I have settled on a couple of main ways of cooking them. The first is roasting them with olive oil and S&P; very simple, but it brings out the creaminess of the vegetable. It pairs well with chickpeas this way, as you can see in the picture above. I then toss the pieces through a warm salad or even squish onto grainy toast. I am experimenting with freezing some like this, to stir thru my tomato pasta sauce in the winter months.

Grilling them is fun, too:


I also love spiralizing zucchinis, especially when they are still slender. I use the spaghetti-like strands tossed thru a salad, squished on a salad breadroll (a surprisingly good lettuce substitute if caught short) and stir-fried; with other green vegies and again with chickpeas (it's a combination I find so delicious). I mean, how pretty is this?

When I was buying my spiralizer, I must say I laughed when the sales girl said 'these are so great, they help you eat so many more vegetables!'. I don't need help eating more vegies, I said, I need more exciting ways to eat them. It's novelty value but hey, it works for me.

Finally, the best way of eating any vegetable, must surely be as cake. So, when life hands you zucchinis in excess and you can't give them away, make cake:

Using my new mini-loaf tin! Again, there's some novelty value attached to turning out these sweet little loaves, but every baker deserves a new tin every now and then, surely.
This recipe though was a bit bland; they needed lots of lemon drizzle on them to be enticing. But then, a week later, I made mini carrot cakes:


Mini carrot cakes so moist and rich, full of flavours from mixed spice, brown sugar and boozy sultanas. Mum actually said you couldn't tell it was carrot cake, the spice and sherried sultanas so potent. But who has ever had a wodge of carrot cake and said mmmmm, so carroty? I rest my case.
I gave T one of these carrot cakes, and when I sent her the recipe, I had a brainwave. This could be a zucchini cake! Sometimes my own genius scares me ... So, here we go, an all-purpose recipe you can use whether you have a glut of carrots or zucchinis. Or pumpkin maybe! Or beetroot, or parsnips, or ... okay, I'll stop now.

Zucchini cake / carrot cake
Adapted from a 'Super food ideas' magazine.
  • A week or two ahead of time, start soaking 3/4 cup sultanas in sherry. If you prefer a non-boozy version (huh?!) or you forget to do this, on the day soak your sultanas in hot tea, just to plump them up. But I recommend the boozy option.
  • Preheat your oven to 180 and prep your baking tin. I used my mini loaf tin (8 loaves) plus 4 holes of a muffin tin; the recipe specified a deep 20 cm round tin.
  • Gently toast in the warming oven 3/4 cup walnut chunks; do keep your eye on them.
  • Grate enough zucchini to get 1 1/2 cups.
  • In another bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 3/4 cup vegie oil or light-flavoured olive oil, 1/2 cup golden syrup, and 3 large eggs.
  • Sift into this 1 cup SR flour, 1/2 cup plain flour, 1 tspn bicarb soda, and generous 1/4 tspn each cinnamon, ginger and mixed spice (or whatever spice combination you like. I'm always heavy-handed with the mixed spice).
  • Stir in the grated zucchini, sultanas (drained if a lot of liquid, though a little extra sherry certainly won't hurt) and the toasted walnuts. You can also add the zest of one orange for even more flavour.
  • Pour into the pans. If you are using mini-loaves or muffin sizes, try for 20-25 minutes or until done. If a single large tin (which I have not used), the recipe specifies 60-70 minutes or until done. The cakes should be cooked but still moist.
  • When done, stand the tin on a rack to cool for a few minutes before turning out to cool completely.
  • PS I know there are some people who say 'the best bit of a carrot cake' is the cream cheese frosting, but I'm not one for all that gooeyness at home (and especially not in summertime). Hence, no cream-cheese frosting recipe. And if that's the best bit of the cake, then there's something wrong with your cake. Enjoy.

22 comments:

  1. Always good to have another zucchini recipe :)
    I grate a lot of zucchini to stir into tomato based saucy recipes (like chili or pasta sauce).
    Which spiralizer did you go for? I have been meaning to get one...

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    1. hello! you won't even kno there's zucchinis in the cake, apart from littl green flecks. NOT mould as i assured my father :-)
      i have a little hand-held spiralizer called ... hang on ... betty bossi (i was going to say bossy betty!). for the amount of veg i do, it's fine, but i can see that if you needed to do a large volume, one of those larger (more expensive) ones that sits on your benchtop would probably be quicker. but this is fine for just me.

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  2. Looks like a delicious cake. You're right, there is always one that gets away. Or two or three. I love the idea of a spiralizer, I've never heard of one before, but shredded zuchini in a roll is genius. I shall look out for one. It's the time of year here to think about what varieties to grow and how many. Of course I shall grow far too many, as always. And I shall make a note of your cake recipe in readiness. CJ xx

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    1. thank you CJ! last year, two zucchini plants was not quite enough - this year, four is, at times, way too many! I'll achieve the perfect balance maybe next season.

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  3. I don't get nearly as many zucchinis as you do, but I usually have one that gets away too. Sometimes because I go on vacation and even though I pick off all the tiny ones, one escapes me.

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    1. hi daphne. I think it's a rite of passage as a gardener, the experience of finding at least one monster zucchini each season. at least one! i much prefer the small ones, no bigger than say a handspan long - they are so creamy and dense in texture.

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  4. Yum, Elizabeth! I think I want one of those spiraliser gadgets! Should have bought one when they advertised two for the price of one! Love your recipes... gave my last two big zucchinis, freshly picked, to my daughter last night. Hopefully there will be more!

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    1. ha, I've seen those ads too, lizzy! they are so much fun - but honestly, i don't go into raptures like the lady on the TV commercial. i mean, it is only zucchini ;-)
      and i'm sure there will be more. as we speak, your zucchinis are sure to be growing...

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  5. So true. Anything can be done with a zucchini. In fact, anything will have to be done if you have more than one plant per person in any household. I also will add to the list zucchini fritters (a no brainer really, hardly needs a recipe but so delicious!), stuffed zucchini flowers and zucchini pizza. Long live the zucchini!

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    1. One plant per person - is that the magic formula, bek? and i'd quite forgotten about fritters. yum - thank you!

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  6. e, boozy sultana zucchini cake, I simply must try this! You ARE indeed a genius. When the zucchini gets all too much I shred it and bag it and throw it in the freezer, from whence it disappears into casseroles all winter, and the children can't tell it is even there.. he he

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    1. shredding it for winter - that's a great idea! thanks jo (I won't tell your children).
      boozy cakes are the best :-) if cake makes vegies good, boozy cakes makes them great. that's my theory!

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  7. I once had a zucchini that got away and at 3 kg it was huge! I'm always amazed at how fast they grow. I don't dislike the idea of zucchini cake :-). Also please don't forget about zucchini frittata (with zucchini flowers, silver beet and much more) its simple to make and very delicious. I have a great recipe if your interested. D

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    1. 3 kilos!! I don't weigh my harvests - that's probably why, i'd be too scared! I guess the good thing about stuffing the flowers would be there'd be less fully-grown vegies to deal with ... Hmmm, i may take you up on that offer, D ...

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  8. I've been wanting one of this spiralisers for ages Elizabeth, they're so cool & I'd love to be able to make zucchini spaghetti. Love all your zucchini ideas and the boozy cakes sound divine!

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    1. The spiralizers are so much fun - they really are playing withyour food! It was kinda silly to stretch out a strand to see how long a piece of zucchini spaghetti could be.

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  9. Nice, I have to give this a go :)

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  10. Those cakes look divine! And I can completely relate to growing zucchinis...one day growing nicely...the next day a monster! What is it with them? I haven't been growing them this season but they always grow so well and as you've reminded us; very versatile :)

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    1. hello jem, sorry for the tardy response.
      glad to remind you of the beauty of the humble zuke :-) I must admit, my vines are slowing down - and i'm beginning to miss them!

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  11. Anonymous21 July, 2015

    Yummy cake and love the recipe!!! Can't wait to try this. : )

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  12. thank you for your kind words M :-) frosting recipe to come soon, i promise!

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