Courgette Ginger Cake with Lemon, Yoghurt and Mascarpone Icing

by Letitia Clark, featured in Wild Figs and Fennel

Published by Hardie Grant

Introduction

This cake has the most sublime texture and tastes like the very essence of summer. Lemony light, damply sweet from the courgettes (zucchini) and with a wonderful cloud-whip of tangy icing (frosting) it is the perfect cake for a long summer afternoon.

It is also very good at breakfast without the icing (plain with a dollop of yoghurt, or with a simple lemon glaze would be nice), very good at teatime or for occasions. A highly adaptable, fresh and fruity cake, moist and zesty, just-flecked with pale green, and a great way of using up endless courgettes. If you have fresh ginger readily available you can use that, too. It creates an even more vibrant flavour.

Any extra icing can be used as a little mousse alongside some summer berries.

As featured in

Wild Figs and Fennel

Image of Letitia Clark's Courgette Ginger Cake — Photo by Charlotte Bland

Ingredients

Serves: 8-10

Metric Cups

200 grams courgettes
100 grams butter at room temperature (plus extra for greasing)
90 millilitres olive oil
230 grams sugar
3 eggs
1 scant teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger or 1 tablespoon freshly grated root ginger
250 grams type 00 flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
zest and juice of 1 large lemon or 2 small (plus extra zest to decorate)
3 tablespoons thick Greek yoghurt
blackberries to decorate (optional)
edible flowers and leaves, to decorate (optional)

FOR THE ICING (FROSTING)

250 grams mascarpone cheese
100 grams icing sugar
zest of 1 lemon plus 4 teaspoons juice
100 grams thick Greek yoghurt

7 ounces zucchini
3½ ounces butter at room temperature (plus extra for greasing)
⅓ cup olive oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 scant teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger or 1 tablespoon freshly grated root ginger
2¼ cups type 00 flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
zest and juice of 1 large lemon or 2 small (plus extra zest to decorate)
3 tablespoons thick Greek yoghurt
blackberries to decorate (optional)
edible flowers and leaves, to decorate (optional)

FOR THE ICING (FROSTING)

generous 1 cup mascarpone cheese
generous ¾ cup confectioners' sugar
zest of 1 lemon plus 4 teaspoons juice
generous ⅓ cup thick Greek yoghurt

Method

Courgette Ginger Cake with Lemon, Yoghurt and Mascarpone Icing is a guest recipe by Letitia Clark so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

Top and tail the courgettes, then finely grate them into a colander over the sink, squeezing out excess juice with your hands.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas 4). Grease and line a 23 cm (9 in) springform cake tin (pan) with baking paper.
Beat the butter and oil together with the sugar until pale, smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until they are fully incorporated. Add the salt, ginger, flour, baking powder, courgettes, lemon zest and juice, and yoghurt, and stir to combine.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40–50 minutes until risen and golden, and an inserted skewer comes out clean (turn the oven down halfway through if the cake looks as though it’s taking on too much colour).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out of the tin and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the icing, beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar, then add the lemon zest and juice and yoghurt, and beat again until smooth. Spread evenly over the top of the cake. Decorate with lemon zest, blackberries and edible flowers, if you like.

Top and tail the zucchini, then finely grate them into a colander over the sink, squeezing out excess juice with your hands.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas 4). Grease and line a 23 cm (9 in) springform cake tin (pan) with baking paper.
Beat the butter and oil together with the sugar until pale, smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until they are fully incorporated. Add the salt, ginger, flour, baking powder, zucchini, lemon zest and juice, and yoghurt, and stir to combine.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40–50 minutes until risen and golden, and an inserted skewer comes out clean (turn the oven down halfway through if the cake looks as though it’s taking on too much colour).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out of the tin and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the icing, beat the mascarpone with the confectioners' sugar, then add the lemon zest and juice and yoghurt, and beat again until smooth. Spread evenly over the top of the cake. Decorate with lemon zest, blackberries and edible flowers, if you like.