Most people think this is an odd one but it's very similar to carrot cake so don't be put off. If you're growing your own this year it's perfect when you start to get bored of cooking courgettes for dinner!

Courgette Cake:

60g raisins (plump up in warm water)
250g courgette (weighed before grating, it's usually 2)
2 large eggs
125ml veg oil
150g caster sugar
225g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

2 x 21cm sandwich tins greased and lined.

I usually use Lemon Curd for the filling but I sometimes make my own Lime curd which I can post the recipe for one day soon.

Icing:

200g cream cheese
100g icing sugar
juice of 1 lime
2-3 tblsp pistachio nuts

Preheat oven to 180oC/gas mark 4

Grate the courgettes (not too fine). Leave them in a sieve to drain excess liquid.

Put the eggs, oil and sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy. Sieve in the flour, bicarb soda and baking powder and continue to beat until well combined. Stir in the grated courgette and drained raisins. Pour the mixture into the tins and bake for 30 mins until slightly browned and firm to touch. Leave in their tins for 5-10 mins then turn out and cool on a wire rack.

For the icing, beat the cream cheese until smooth add the sieved icing sugar and the lime juice to taste. I usually put this back into the fridge for a few minutes to stiffen it slightly. Spread the lemon curd filling onto one cake and sandwich together. Spread the cream cheese icing on top and just before serving sprinkle on the pistachios. (They go soft if on the icing for too long).

The good thing about this cake is that it's delicious with or without the icing, with or without the pistachios or with a simple butter icing filling instead of the curd filling - very versatile! Enjoy

— by Emily Barnes