This delicious Courgette Cake recipe is so easy to make, packed with lime and topped with delicious mascarpone cream cheese frosting icing. The perfect summer bake to use your vegetables in! Also easily made Gluten Free.
Have you ever grown courgettes yourself? If you haven’t grown them before and you fancy yourself as a gardener, courgettes are 100% the summer thing to grow.
As I mentioned in my Courgette Fritters recipe a few weeks ago, they are SO satisfying. They just grow and grow without too much TLC. Making me feel like next year I’ll be exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show or similar.
If that’s not reason enough to grow some. Two more words. Courgette Cake. It’s SO GOOD. A delicious texture, a portion of veg and to me, one of the tastes of summer. Even if you’re not a gardener, please buy some courgettes and try this Courgette Cake recipe!
How do you make Courgette Cake?
This cake is super simple to make in one bowl. Mix your sugar, oil and eggs until well combined. Then you need to grate your courgettes and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. This is really important to help the cake not be soggy. Just use clean hands and do it over the sink.
Then add in your grated courgettes, pistachio nuts (not necessary but they add a lovely bite), lime zest, self raising flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon. Stir until totally combined.
Pop it all into a loaf tin, lined with baking paper and bake until firm and cooked through. Meanwhile make your mascarpone icing whilst the cake is in the oven and store it in the fridge until the cake is cooked and totally cold.
Slather it on and enjoy a bit wedge of cake in the sunshine!
Tips for making the Courgette Cake recipe:
- Be sure to use a coarse side of the grater for grating your courgettes, they will be too mushy if you use a very fine grater.
- IMPORTANT TIP! After grating your courgettes for the courgette cake, with clean hands, squeeze out as much liquid as possibly. You can do this in a sieve, but a good squish in your hands will do the best job. This is really important so that the cake isn’t too wet.
- When you make your cream cheese frosting, mix very softly and slowly to avoid the icing getting too runny. If it does go a little runny, pop into the fridge for an hour to firm up.
What I used to make the Courgette Cake recipe:
- Pretty Pistachios – I LOVE these pistachio nut slivers, I’ve only found them on Amazon but I think that they really finish this cake beautifully. You’ll only use some of a pack to decorate this cake, but they keep well in the fridge.
- Microplane Zester – My secret weapon for any recipes with citrus zest in is my Microplane Zester. I know I’m a wimp but I used to hate making lemon drizzle cake before splashing out on one of these. They have SO many glowing reviews. You can buy them here on Amazon: Microplane Premium Zester.
- Good Quality Loaf Tin – A sturdy tin that conducts the heat evenly will really make a different to your bakes. This Non Stick Loaf tin on Amazon is a good buy.
Fancy some other easy cake recipes? How about my Chocolate Orange Cake Recipe or my Nutella Cake Recipe?
Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. I’d love to know how you got on and what you thought of it if you make this Courgette Cake recipe. Please rate the recipe and leave me a comment below if you do.
Also, if you fancy showing me a photo by tagging me on Instagram (@tamingtwins) I LOVE to see your creations.
How to make the Courgette Cake recipe:
How to make the Courgette Cake recipe:
Courgette Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 175 g Caster sugar (See recipe tips)
- 175 ml Sunflower oil
- 3 Free range eggs
- 150 g Courgettes (See recipe tips)
- 100 g Pistachio nuts, shelled Optional
- 2 Limes Zest only
- 175 g Self raising flour
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
For the icing:
- 150 g Mascarpone cheese
- 150 g Icing sugar
- 1 Lime Juice only
To decorate:
- Pistachio slivers and more lime zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Mix the sugar, oil and eggs until well beaten.
- Stir in the grated courgettes (after you've squeezed out the liquid - see recipe tips).
- Stir in the nuts (if using), lime zest, self raising flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon. Stir until totally combined.
- Pour into a lined and greased loaf tin and bake for 45 - 60 minutes until cooked through and a skewer comes out clean.
- Allow to cool and remove from the tin.
- Meanwhile make the icing by very gently combining the mascarpone with sieved icing sugar and lime juice. Pop into the fridge until the cake is totally cold.
- Smooth the icing over the top of the cake and sprinkle on the pistachios and more lime lime zest if you fancy.
caroline says
Yum, this is a great cake, and brilliant when you have a ‘glut’ of courgettes as I do – thank you so much
Sarah Barnes says
Thanks so much, hope you like it!
Tricia Roy says
This doesn’t work with gluten free flour sadly. Tastes nice but falls apart
Goaskyourmother says
It worked beautifully for me. I used Doves Farm flour and a half teaspoon of xanthan gum.
Tash says
Just made this as have a glut of courgette – OMG delicious – have already passed on to a few others who have also made it!! Thank you so much 😊
Sharon says
Easiest cake ever really delicious
Tricia Shaw says
I have never tried courgette s in a cake but this cake is AMAZING . Tastes fantastic and I made a lime drizzle had no mascarpone . I recommend trying this cake. The recipe is easy to follow and you will be surprised how great it tastes.
Tricia Shaw says
AMAZING . Tastes fantastic and I made a lime drizzle had no mascarpone . I recommend trying this cake. The recipe is easy to follow and you will be surprised how great it tastes.
Dora says
Hey, yummy recipe. Just wanted to clarify whether the nutritional values are for the whole cake or for a piece?
Thank you for sharing!
Sarah Barnes says
Sadly just one piece!!
Sue says
I love this. I make it as a sandwich cake. Have done lemon drizzle a nod now I add ginger and sultanas. With a vanilla butter filing.
Serves 10? I can eat mine by myself in 2 days – ha ha.
Lauren says
Really tasty. Would definitely make it again. I think a typo in the body of the recipe, I assume the icing should use the lime juice and not the zest. I wonder if I could substitute the mascarpone cream with cream cheese (as it is a more easily reusable ingredient in my kitchen).
Louise says
Very easy to make and totally delicious 🤤
Shana Knight says
Have made this cake few times now and can say this is a firm family favourite 🤩 it always comes out well! Would definitely recommend 👍🏼👌🏼
Gavin says
As a single-person household I make up the batter and bake in two x 1lb loaf tins. I make up half the frosting for the cake I will eat now, and freeze the other cake wrapped in baking parchment to be frosted later. Works for me. Oh, and I leave the cinnamon out completely. Even in chilli-heavy curries, I find cinnamon to be a bit of a thug.
Stephanie Bawden says
Just checking if the weight of courgettes is before or after squeezing please?
Bridget says
This is a great cake and the family and my work colleagues all love it.
I make double or triple batter when we have a glut of courgettes in the garden and sometimes freeze a loaf, but mostly the cake gets eaten within a day or so!!!😋