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.
This recipe was first published in August 2017 and updated in July 2020.
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.
What you will need:
Butter – to make this cake rich and delicious, I’ve used butter rather than oil. Baking margarine (e.g. Stork) will work well too
Caster sugar – nice and simple, regular white caster sugar adds the sweetness in this recipe. Golden caster sugar would be a good substitution
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
Flour – regular plain (all purpose) flour is used here. If you only stock self raising in your pantry, use that but omit the baking powder, since self-raising already includes it
Baking powder – essential when using plain flour in cake making to help provide a good rise in the cake
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
Milk – just a splash to ensure the cake batter is just the right consistency for a good rise to be achieved as it bakes
Icing sugar – used to make the simple water icing that adorns this cake
How to Bake this Cake
- Preheat the oven 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 – if it feels very wet try blotting on kitchen towel
- 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 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
I knew I wanted to keep the decoration to a minimum on this cake so that the flavours could do the impressing. With this idea in mind, I baked the cake in a pretty bundt tin and dressed it simply.
I’ve chosen to top this Zucchini and Lime Cake with just a drizzle of fresh, zesty lime icing and some sugared lime zest. Of course, a few sprigs of thyme scattered on top would be beautiful if you plan to include it in the bake.
Can I leave out the Thyme?
Talking of being impressive, I did not thrill myself last week when I baked this Zucchini Lime Cake with my girls and took all of the photos before I realised I’d forgotten to include the thyme.
However, the silver lining is that I now know that this cake tastes great whether thyme is included or not.
Storage
This cake should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and eaten within 3 days.
More Tasty Cakes to Bake:
- Pumpkin Pecan and Coconut Ring Cake
- Lemon and Poppy Seed Drizzle Cake with Thyme
- Vegan Ginger Loaf Cake with Orange & Almond
- Semolina Cake with Orange & Mint Drizzle
- Vegan Blueberry Cake with Bilberry Icing
Courgette Lime Cake (aka Zucchini Lime Cake)
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
David
is my family’s favourite cake.
Jane Saunders
Hi David – thanks so much. I’ve got this one on my list to revamp the post for, to add lots more useful information. Can’t wait to remake it…