Courgette and Lime Cake (aka Zucchini and Lime Cake)

Courgette and Lime Cake (aka Zucchini and 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.

Don’t miss my lively lime drizzle loaf cake too.

This week I’m having language issues. I’m torn between talking about Courgette and Lime Cake and Zucchini and Lime Cake. It seems as if half the world talk about courgettes whilst the other half talk about zucchini.

Is courgette a universally understood name for zucchini? Or vice versa? I have no idea, so I’ve decided to flip between the two terms. I like sitting on fences.

This Courgette and Lime Cake is made wonderfully moist by the courgette itself. A few cunning additions – lime, pistachio, poppyseeds and thyme – add extra elements to the flavour to make it one very special cake.

Some cakes are a joy to discover. This Courgette and Lime Cake is one of them. It is wonderfully moist, zesty, slightly nutty and the sponge is a gloriously vibrant colour.

If you are at all curious about including veggies in sweet recipes then this bake is a great place to start.

If you find bundt cakes irresistible try my lemon drizzle bundt cake and my pumpkin, pecan and bundt cake. And if you enjoy veggies in your bakes don’t miss my carrot & pineapple cake.

Ingredients notes

You will need:

• Butter
• Caster sugar
• Eggs
• Limes
• Pistachio nutes
• Courgette
• Flour
• Baking powder
• Poppyseeds
• Lemon thyme (or thyme)
• Milk
• icing sugar

Butter – to make this cake rich and delicious, I’ve used butter rather than oil. Baking margarine (e.g. Stork) will work well too

Eggs – this recipe uses 4 whole eggs to give the cake wonderful structure and lift. I use,fresh, large eggs and recommend using free-range if possible

Limes – providing a lovely twang of lively citrus, both the juice and the zest make an appearance in this courgette and lime cake

Pistachio nuts – when ground, finely pistachios not only add to the colour of the sponge cake but they also impart a delicious nutty flavour to it. You are unlikely to fine ground pistachios in a supermarket but they are easy to grinder at home either in a mini processor or a coffee grinder

Courgette (zucchini) – the star of the show in this recipe. This vegetable seems to blend into the sponge cake and helps to keep it amazingly moist and tender of crumb

Poppyseeds – I’m a sucker for adding poppyseeds to cakes. They look so dainty and add a little extra bite to the sponge. It’s fine to leave these out if you don’t have them to hand

Lemon thyme (or thyme) – again, this is a great addition if you have some. Herbs in cake making, especially thyme, gives a wonderful undertone to the mix that adds complexity and freshness to the flavour

Step by step instructions

1. Preheat the oven and grease a 2.4 litre/ 10 cup bundt tin ( I used a Heritage tin and sprayed it with Cake Spray Release
2. 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
3. Finely grate the zest and juice the limes and finely chop the thyme (if using)
4. 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 – if it feels very wet try blotting on kitchen towel
5. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar together using electric beaters until light and fluffy
6. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions
7. 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
8. Add the milk, stir well, then add the remaining flour blend and mix in until just combined
9. 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)
10. Add the grated (and squeezed out) courgette (zucchini) and mix until evenly distributed

11. 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)
12. 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
13. 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
14. Mix the reserved lime zest with a little 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

More unusual cakes to bake

Have you made this lime and courgette cake? Please let me know if you enjoyed it by leaving a review.