If only I had more time and another cake I could have made the lemony cream cheese filling ooze gently from the sandwiched halves. But I didn't and so it will have to stay as it is i.e. rather over filled.
The courgette glut is continuing and I am hopeful I will still be picking these green striped wonders for another couple of weeks. But what to do with them?
Jane Gjertsen of the Ship Inn, Port Mulgrave where we stayed last weekend suggested a courgette, lemon and poppy seed cake which she says sells really well in her tearoom. She pointed me to the recipe on the BBC Good Food website. It uses two medium sized courgettes. This makes the cake moist but does not really affect the flavour. I have substituted pumpkin seeds for poppy seeds but either will do.
The cake is spiked with a tart lemon drizzle before sandwiching together with a lemony cream cheese filling and a frosted lemon juice and sugar drizzle.
I couldn't resist placing an elegant courgette flower across across the top. They are so decorative. I even tried to preserve one with a coating of beaten egg white and caster suger. It looks good but was not set in time for this photo.
The cake is luxurious, creamy, lemony and moist. Just the thing for tea and the first open fire of the year. To make courgette cake.....
Ingredients
- 200g unsalted butter, very soft, plus extra for the tin
- 3 unwaxed lemons
- 200g golden caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 medium courgettes, coarsely grated (you'll need 300g/10oz flesh)
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g self-raising flour
- 100g plain wholemeal flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 85g icing sugar
- 100g reduced -fat soft cheese
For the lemon frosting
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3-4 tbsp sieved icing sugar
Method
Heat oven to 180C/gas 4. Butter 2 x 20cm sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment. Zest 2 lemons, then squeeze their juice into a separate bowl. Put 200g butter, the caster sugar, eggs, courgettes, pumpkin seeds, vanilla and lemon zest into a mixing bowl. Beat to a creamy batter. Stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice, the flours, baking powder and ¼ tsp salt. Spoon the mix into the tins, then bake for 25 mins or until risen, golden and springy in the middle.
Make a drizzle by mixing another tbsp lemon juice with 25g icing sugar. Put the remaining icing sugar into a bowl, add the soft cheese, remaining lemon juice (about 2 tbsp) and grate in the final lemon’s zest. Beat to make a creamy, smooth lemon cream.
When the cakes are ready, cool for 15 mins in their tins, turn onto a cooling rack. Prick several times with a cocktail stick, spoon over the drizzle and cool completely. Can be frozen at this stage for up to 1 month. Put one cake onto a serving plate and spread with the lemon cream. Top with the second cake. To make the lemon frosting: mix 2 tbsp of lemon juice with 3 to 4 tbsp of icing sugar and mix to a smooth, runny paste. Dribble the lemon frosting over the cake and allow to set for half an hour before serving.
