Courgette, Orange & Walnut Layer Cake
By OcadoLife
Published on 03 July 2022
Grated courgette gives the cake its moist texture and works wonders with the citrussy orange zest. Looking for more cake recipes? Look no further.Time and servings
45 minsTotal time
10Servings
20 minsPrep time
25 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 250 g of golden caster sugar
- 200 g of self-raising flour
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 360 g of full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 40 g of walnuts, toasted
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 large orange, zest of
- 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
- 70 g of icing sugar, allow a little extra for dusting
- 400 g of unsalted butter, 250g softened leaving 150g for the icing
- 300 g of courgettes, grated with skin on
Method
Step 1
Heat oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan/gas 4, grease two 20cm cake tins and line the bottoms with greaseproof paper.Step 2
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric hand whisk.Step 3
Add the eggs in three stages, beating between each addition. If the mixture appears to be splitting, add a little of the flour before continuing.Step 4
Reserve 1tbsp of zest for the icing and tip the rest into the cake mix.Step 5
Squeeze the excess moisture from the grated courgettes before adding them to the bowl. Gently fold into the mixture.Step 6
Mix the flour, baking powder and cinnamon together. Gently fold into the cake mix.Step 7
Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 25 mins until risen and lightly golden. If in doubt, insert a thin skewer into the centre of one of the cakes – it will come away clean when the cake is done.Step 8
While the cake bakes, make the icing: whisk together the remaining butter (150g) and icing sugar until fluffy, then fold in the cream cheese and half the reserved zest.Step 9
When the cakes are done, allow them to cool a while in the tins then remove and cool completely. Spread the icing and sprinkle the chopped walnuts over both cakes. Top one with the other and scatter over the remaining zest to finish.Step 10
Cook’s tip: Try using lemon zest instead of orange (or even mix the two) for an extra-tangy take on this recipe.