Courgette Lime Cake (aka Zucchini Lime Cake)
Courgette Lime Cake (aka Zucchini Lime Cake) with pistachios and thyme makes a wonderfully moist and very pretty bundt cake. A light drizzle of zesty lime icing and a little sugared lime zest is all the decoration this cake needs.
Servings: 10
Calories: 498kcal
Ingredients
- 250g/ 1 ⅛ cup butter - softened
- 250g/ 1 ¼ cup caster sugar
- 4 eggs large (free range)
- 2 limes
- 100g/ 1 cup pistachio nuts
- 200g/ 7oz courgette (zucchini)
- 220g/ 1 ¾ cup plain (all purpose) flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tbsp poppyseeds
- 1 tbsp lemon thyme (or thyme)
- 4 tbsp whole milk
- 100g/ 1 cup icing sugar
- extra sprigs lemon thyme (or thyme)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170C/ 325F/ GM3 and grease a 2.4 litre/ 10 cup bundt tin ( I used a Heritage tin and sprayed it with Dr Oetker Cake Spray Release
- Blitz the pistachio nuts in a processor or coffee grinder until reduced to a fine powder (similar in appearance to ground almonds, only green!). You may need to do this in batches if using a coffee grinder
- Finely grate the zest and juice the limes and finely chop the thyme (if using)
- Finely grate the courgette (zucchini) then give it a really good squeeze to remove most of the juice. This step is essential - adding wet courgette to your cake batter will result in a heavy, wet and dense cake. Yuck. Squeezing out the liquid will avoid this problem and result in a cake that is moist but not wet.
- In a large bowl cream butter and sugar together using electric beaters until light and fluffy
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions
- Sieve the flour into a bowl then mix in the ground pistachios and baking powder. Stir half of this flour blend into the cake batter using a large metal spoon
- Add the milk, stir well, then add the remaining flour blend and mix in until just combined
- Reserve ¼ of the lime zest and 2 teaspoon juice for the icing then stir in the remaining zest and juice, along with the poppyseeds and chopped thyme (if using)
- Add the grated (and squeezed out) courgette (zucchini) and mix until evenly distributed
- Spoon into the bundt tin, level slightly and bake for 45 minutes. Check that it is cooked through using a metal skewer (it will come out clean when inserted into a cooked sponge cake)
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and let rest in the tin for 2 minutes. Carefully remove from the tin and let cool completely on a wire rack before decorating
- When ready to decorate, mix the icing sugar with the reserved lime juice and a splash of water (if necessary) to make a thick, yet slightly runny icing. Carefully spoon the icing over the cake. Mix the reserved lime zest with the granulated sugar, rubbing it between your fingers until well blended. Use to garnish the cake, along with a few fresh sprigs of thyme if desired
- Keeps in an airtight container for 3-5 days
Notes
I used a 2.4 litre / 10 cup bundt tin but this recipe should also bake in loaf tins - just adjust cooking times in line with you tin sizes.
Nutrition
Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 345mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 851IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2mg