A Tasty Veggie Cake! (Cakes)

Member Name: Sue Hoskinson

Product:	Cakes
Date:	29/11/01 (347 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simple and easy to make

Disadvantages: Seasonal

I’ve never ventured into this section before so please be patient with me, won’t you!
Ever wondered why people make cakes using vegetables? Well, up until recently I’d only ever tried carrot cake and although it has a very distinctive flavor, I wasn’t particularly keen on it.

One thing I’ve noticed is that with a lot of recipes that I’ve used they’re either classified as cakes or bread, depending on how they’re finished. Let me explain what I’m rambling about!
Most of the recipes I’ve come across in recent years are American so there is a point to where I’m heading. Firstly, cake seems to be defined by whether the finished product has frosting or icing applied and bread is usually served plain, there so now if you do find a recipe that seems a bit unusual and you’re not sure – now you know, but then again I could be wrong.

A friend gave the recipe I’d like to share with you to me a few years ago while we were in Iceland although that isn’t its origins. It’s called ‘Zucchini Bread’ and is a very easy cake to make, it keeps extremely well (usually lasting for over a week, if we don’t eat it first) and is a great lunchtime snack if you’re too busy to stop and eat properly. It’s also a very moist cake and I don’t honestly believe it’s too unhealthy, after all how can a veggie cake be bad for you!

All the measurements are made using standard measuring cups and spoons that can easily be obtained in most supermarkets, I know they sell them in Tesco’s and they’re quite cheap as well. This recipe is also a ‘one bowl’ deal so there isn’t too much cleaning up to do later – I like that idea.

Right, here we go!

You’ll need the following ingredients and they’re listed in the order that’s easiest to put them in the bowl.
1 cup
vegetable oil
1 ½ cups sugar
3 medium eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla essence
3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups grated or finely chopped zucchini (courgettes) - I use my cheese grater to do this.
1 cup raisins or sultanas
I cup nuts (if you like)

The first things I do when making this is put the oven on at 180C/350F and line a 9inch square baking pan. If you don’t have this size pan then you can use 2 loaf pans. I prefer to line the pan with aluminum foil so that it makes the cake easier to lift out and clean but you can grease them if you want.
Make sure that you use a large bowl and add the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat them so that they’re well mixed and then add the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and bicarb. Mix this well, it will be quite stiff and dry looking but don’t worry that’s where the zucchini comes in! Add the zucchini and raisins and mix together – see now it’s looking more like a cake batter isn’t it. If you want to add nuts then do so last, I never do but it’s entirely your choice.
Once everything is mixed together, pour the batter into your cake pan(s) and bake for 40-60 minutes. I find that 50-55 minutes is perfect but every oven is different so judge for yourself, the cake should be golden brown and if you stick a cocktail stick in the center it should come out clean.
Let it cool on a rack or the top of the stove while still in the pan and remove it when it’s cool enough then wrap it in foil or store in a tin – simple enough, don’t you think?

A rough guide to portion size would be that I get about 16 out of a 9inch square so I estimate that you could probably get about 8-10 slices out of a loaf sized cake. My portions are quite generous too!

Well that’s my recipe; I hope you give it a try a
nd if you do please let me know what you think – even if you hate it!

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