If you feel immediately alienated by the title, then call this courgette loaf cake (zucchini being the charming American name for courgette). If you're further alienated by the addition of a vegetable in a cake, either ignore it's there, or be reminded that vegetation in a cake isn'the unheard of- throughout wartime bakers used their natural sweetness in place of the unavailable sugar and that idea still exists today, granted in a more glamorous fashion, in the form of carrot cake. Finding courgettes rather than carrots odd to be baking with is a result simply of the time.
Essentially, this is just a rehash of my banana bread recipe, the main difference being that chocolate plays a more important role here- the cake is studded with melting nuggets of cocoa instead of sticky sultanas.
1)Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease a loaf tin with butter or vegetable oil and dust generously with sifted cocoa powder.
2)Grate 2 small or about 1 3/4 larger courgettes, and don't hold back, grate the whole thing.
3)Combine 200g plain flour, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1 tsp baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).
4)In a larger bowl whisk 2 eggs, 220g light brown sugar together until light and well aerated, then incorporate gradually 120ml flavourless vegetable oil (sunflower, groundnut etc, for example) and 1 tsp vanilla extract or bean paste then finally your courgettes.
5)Fold in the dry ingredients until throughly combined, then add 150g dark chocolate chips. Transfer to the loaf tin and bake for a good 40 minutes- 1 hour until a skewer inserted into the thickest part of the loaf comes out clean. Leave to cool for about 5 minutes in the tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Although there is plenty to be said for having this hot...
No comments:
Post a Comment