Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Grease and line 2 20cm cake tins.
- Coarsely grate the carrot and courgettes, then place into a colander over the sink and squeeze to release any liquid. Repeat twice, or until barely any more moisture comes out. Toss in 10g of the flour and set aside.
- Sieve the flour into the bowl of a food mixer and add the sugar, baking powder, salt and almonds. Zest the lemon - reserving the juice for the frosting - and add to the bowl along with the orange zest, sultanas, butter and eggs.
- Mix for 2 minutes, then add the courgette and carrot to the bowl and mix for a further 2 minutes, or until well combined - do not overmix.
- Divide between the lined cake tins and bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the tip of a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tins, then turn out onto a rack and leave to cool completely.
- For the frosting, place the very soft butter into a bowl and add a tablespoon of the reserved orange juice. Beat or whisk until combined, then add the icing sugar to form a smooth buttercream. If you like, add a squeeze of lemon juice, too.
- Stir in the cream cheese and lemon zest, mixing gently with a wooden spoon until combined.
- Spread half the frosting in the middle of the cake and use the rest on top. Decorate with a little lemon and lime zest, or curls of citrus peel.
This zesty courgette cake recipe is a great way to use up a seasonal glut. It's important to take your time ensuring as much moisture as possible has been squeezed from the grated vegetables- the result should be moist, but not wet, and similar to carrot cake.