It’s glut season. Trees heavy with early apples, plums and greengages. And gourd plants working quickly, their yellowy/orange blossoms (perfect for stuffing) soon replaced by courgettes and marrows.
If you grow your own, or know someone who does, you’ll be familiar with the seasonal rush – to harvest, use, pickle and preserve everything.
Now, not everyone likes a courgette (the trick really is in the way you cook them), but even the most adamant of haters (we’ve found) will make light work of a slice of courgette and lime cake...
Ingredients (makes 1 loaf cake)
- 150g unsalted butter, melted
- 200g caster sugar
- Zest 2 limes
- 1 tsp lime extract (optional)
- 2 medium courgettes, roughly grated
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 large eggs
For the icing:
- Icing sugar
- Lime juice
Method
1. Line a 2lb loaf tin and set the oven to 180C.
2. Beat the sugar with the butter, lime zest, and lime extract (optional) until it becomes a little thicker and creamy.
3. Squeeze out the courgettes through a clean cloth and fold them in.
4. Alternately mix in the eggs and flour, finishing with the baking powder.
5. Spoon the mixture into your tin, and leave to sit for 10 minutes.
6. Bake for around 40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool.
7. Sieve around 200g icing sugar (more if you like it covered more thickly) and squeeze in lime juice, a few drops at a time, stirring until you have a thick glaze. Drizzle this over the top of your cake, and serve. Earl Grey or Lady Grey tea is fantastic with this.
