Zucchini sounds like an unusual main ingredient for a cake recipe, yet it makes for a deliciously moist and sweet cake. To make this recipe lean more towards the healthy side wholemeal flour is used along with olive oil, one of the better fats. The wholemeal flour gives a slightly malted taste. A half cup of raisins creates a deliciously moist sweetness. Add more raisins if you like them, it certainly won’t hurt.
The only unhealthy aspect of this recipe is the one-cup of caster sugar used. The baker concerned about the sugar content of her cake can always reduce this ingredient to suit. The added spices cardamom and cinnamon give the cake a delicate, aromatic hint.
The sugar content aside, this cake can be considered a real food, and not just a bunch of bad fats (like butter) and stripped down white flour. It’s also absolutely delicious, and eating one slice too many should not induce guilt.
The cake is a real crowd pleaser and seems to get better after a day or two in the fridge.
To make the cake vegan use any of the commercial brand egg replacers. Egg replacers are a great item for the pantry, and are perfect for baking. They have a long shelf life, are convenient and very economical. For those who are concerned about the welfare of the chickens that lay them, that anxiety is removed as egg replacers contain no animal products. Alternatives to commercially made egg replacers are ground linseeds in water or tofu.
Real eggs can be used in this recipe if egg replacer cannot be obtained.
Ingredients
125 grams of olive oil (use canola oil if you wish)
1 cup of caster sugar
2 medium zucchinis, grated (approximately 250 grams)
2 equivalent eggs of egg replacer (follow instructions on commercial box)
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of cardamon
½ cup of tightly packed raisins
1 and 1/3 cups of wholemeal flour
1 and ¼ teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
Directions
Mix the oil and the sugar together in a bowl
Stir in the two replacement eggs
Add 2 grated zucchinis
Stir through the spices
Fold through the flour and bicarbonate of soda
Add in the raisins
Pour the contents into a greased, 20 centimetre round cake pan. Cook in an oven pre-heated to 180 degrees celcius for 50-60 minutes. Test by sticking a knife into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
The cake is now ready to be enjoyed. To add glamour and appeal, serve with dusted sugar.
