Almond, courgette (zucchini) and rosemary cake

'This wonderful almond cake is actually packed with veg! Made with grated courgette (zucchini), ground almond, and with a hint of rosemary and zesty lemon, this pretty cake can also make a great dinner party dessert when served with a dollop of whipped ricotta and fresh raspberries.

Each serving has; Fat 18g Carbohydrate 18g Protein 8.1g Fibre 0.9g, so for some readers the carb. content may not be suitable*.

Ingredients

Serves 10

300g (about 2 medium-sized) courgettes, trimmed and grated
50ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing
130g ground almonds
70g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
75g light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting
150g raspberries, to serve
250g ricotta, lightly whipped, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Place the grated courgette in a colander and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Toss well, then place over the sink to drain for 30 mins.
2. Preheat the oven to gas 5, 190°C, fan 170°C. Grease a 20cm cake tin with olive oil and line the base with baking paper.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the ground almonds, flour, baking powder, pinch of salt and chopped rosemary. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs and lemon zest and juice.
4. Rinse the courgette to get rid of any excess salt and tip onto a clean tea towel. Squeeze out as much moisture as you can, then tip into the almond bowl and mix well. Add the wet ingredients and stir well to make a smooth batter.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-50 mins until lightly browned on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If the cake is starting to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a piece of foil.

6. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack. To serve, dust with the icing sugar before cutting into slices. If serving as a dessert, cut into slices and serve with a scattering of raspberries and a dollop of the whipped ricotta.
Tips:

i) Salting and draining the grated courgette is important for the final texture of the cake, otherwise it may be too soggy as courgettes naturally contain a lot of water.

ii) This cake is designed to not have that big of a rise as it is made with quite a heavy batter.'

From original idea here

*If you would prefer a lower carb Ricotta Almond Cake, 5.6g carbohydrate per slice, please look here

~ enjoy your day ~

Please note, you will find a variety of recipe ideas within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter. If you have any concerns about your health, it is always advisable to consult your doctor or health care team.

All the best Jan