Courgette & Orange Cake
Coping with the glut of courgettes? Then this cake may be the answer! The courgettes keep it moist and the hazelnuts add texture. Toast the hazelnuts first for a more intense nutty flavour.
Cuts into 16, or 20 smaller pieces
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 300g (10.5 oz) caster sugar
- 100ml (3.5 fl oz) corn of vegetable oil
- 85g (3 oz) English crème fraiche
- 300g (10.5 oz) plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp mixed spice
- Zest of 1 orange
- 75g 2.5 oz) chopped hazelnuts
- 225g (8 oz) courgettes, grated with their skin on
For the icing
- 55g (2 oz) butter, melted
- 2-3 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tsp grated orange zest
- 225 (8 oz) icing sugar
Method
Whisk the eggs with the sugar until thick, whisk in the oil and crème fraiche. Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and mixed spice; mix in the orange rind and chopped hazelnuts. Fold the flour mixture into the eggs with the grated courgettes, and then pour the mixture into a sqaure baking tin or half size roasting tin which has been lined with Bake-O-Glide.
2 Oven AGA: Place the tin on the grid shelf set on the floor of the Roasting Oven and slide the cold plain shelf on the second set of runner down. Bake for about 45-50 minutes until golden brown and cooked. Change the cold plain shelf for the large roasting tin after 30 minutes.
3, 4 and 5 Oven AGA: Place the tin on the grid shelf on the floor of the Baking Oven. Bake for about 45-50 minutes until golden brown and cooked.
Rayburn and Conventional Cooking: Bake at 180C, fan oven 160C for about 45-50 minutes, until risen and cooked through.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin. Then turn out and cool completely.
To make the icing; melt the butter in a bowl at the back of the AGA. Add the remaining ingredients to the butter, and then beat together well and spread on the cake. The icing will thicken on cooling. Mark a pattern with a palette knife. Allow the icing to set.
By Dawn Roads
AGA Food Editor
