Lemon, Courgette and Almond Cake
Courgettes are incredibly versatile. They’re delicious raw, sautéed, steamed, roasted, as fritters, as zoodles, but they also make a deliciously moist cake base.
This lemon, courgette and almond cake is a lovely citrusy cake the summer months. It’s deliciously moist – the kind that you have to eat with a fork. It’s also gluten free, dairy free and relatively low in sugar (as cakes go). I also added a little turmeric to it to make it super yellow and just a teeny bit aromatic.⠀
SERVES: 8-10 slices
TOTAL PREP AND BAKING TIME: 1hr 15mins
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SEASON: Summer and early Autumn
INGREDIENTS:⠀
For the cake:⠀
1 3/4 cup almond flour ⠀
1/3 cup coconut flour⠀
1/3 cup coconut sugar⠀
2 tsp baking powder⠀
1/4 tsp bicarb⠀
pinch of salt⠀
1 tsp ground turmeric⠀
1 large courgette⠀
3 lemons⠀
4 eggs⠀
1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil⠀
2 tsp almond extract⠀
1 tsp vanilla extract⠀
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For the glaze (optional):⠀
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice⠀
1 tbsp coconut oil⠀
1 tbsp honey⠀
METHOD:⠀
1. Preheat fan oven to 180 C and line your loaf tin with baking paper⠀
2. Grate the courgette and set aside, zest the lemons and juice them (should have at least 1/2 cup juice). Set the zest and juice to one side as well.⠀
3. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, ensuring there are no lumps. Add in 1-2 tbsp of chopped lemon zest (depending on how zingy you want it).⠀
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted coconut oil, almond and vanilla extracts⠀
5. Combine this wet mixture with the dry ingredients. Then fold in the grated zucchini and 1/3 cup of the lemon juice, (reserving enough to make the glaze). You should end up with a thick batter that is a kind of mousse consistency⠀
6. Scoop the batter into the lined loaf tin and spread it evenly⠀
7. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the edges turn a dark golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean! Allow to cool for at least 1hour.⠀
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For the glaze:⠀
8. Melt the coconut oil and whisk with the honey and lemon juice. Poke small holes in the cake and drizzle over the top. Decorate as you wish, I used toasted flaked almonds for a bit of crunch.