Gluten Free Courgette (and Stripy Beetroot) Cake with Lemon Poppyseed Icing 

This is a gorgeous recipe I have been meaning to share with you for quite some time now! Its been sat in my drafts folder, but now is the time to share. So if your home-grown courgettes and zucchini’s need a suitable recipe to be incorporated into, look no further.

This rustic country courgette cake, can be made with either gluten free or regular flour, perfect for baking for yourself, or for a friend with intolerances. 

I baked this cake with a fellow photographer friend of mine after having a glut of courgettes in the garden (she took the shots of me baking – rather handy!)

When I bake, this is the typical kind of cake I bake – quick, rustic but full of flavour. I grow most of the vegetables for me and my husband, so courgette or beetroot cakes are a regular delight.

Adding courgette to a cake ensures it is moist, and you can therefore do without some of the butter. I also added a few pink stripy beets to the batter, as they are so gorgeous! But the best thing about this bake is the icing. It’s intently lemony, adding some delicious sharpness to the subtle flavours of the cake.

This is a super zesty, moist and delicious courgette cake, so one slice might not be enough…just a heads up.

Check out my other Courgette Cake recipe here. 

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Gluten Free Courgette and Stripy Beetroot Cake with Lemon Poppyseed Icing 

Serves 8

~

2 lemons, zest of

75ml milk, or soya milk

250g butter, plus a little extra for greasing the tin

250g light brown soft sugar

4 eggs, yolks & whites separated

200g gluten-free self-raising flour

75g ground almonds

200g courgettes, grated

50g sunflower seeds

50g stripy beetroot, grated 

for the icing:

300g icing sugar

1 lemon, juice and zest of

30g salted butter, melted

2 tbsp poppy seeds

Method 

• Pre-heat oven to 180/fan 160/gas mark 4

• Lightly grease a 23cm springform cake tin and line with baking parchment. (lining is optional, I don’t often bother, but if you have sticky pans, its worth it)
  

• Whisk the egg whites in a separate clean bowl to stiff peaks, set aside.

• Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale, then beat in the egg yolks, one at a time.

• Fold the flour and ground almonds into the mixture, followed by the courgettes, beetroot, sunflower seeds, lemon zest and milk.
  

• Gently fold in the egg whites into the cake batter, then pour into the prepared tin.
• Bake for approx 50-55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a large bowl.
• Add the lemon juice, zest, and melted butter and stir together quickly, until you have a spreadable icing. Add the poppy seeds, and mix in.
• Using a pallet knife spread the icing over the cake.
• Enjoy!