Vegan & gluten free lemon courgette celebration cake

As usual, this summer we had a wonderful crop of courgettes.  So, as usual, I needed more ways to use them!

I’ve been longing for a good alternative to a victoria sponge cake.  You know, one of those beautiful ones filled with jam, sometimes cream too, occasionally covered in strawberries, flowers and whipped cream… served on pretty vintage plates among vine-strung pergolas, laughter, tea and sunshine…

Anyway, dreams of this light and summery bliss initiated this recipe, further inspired by memories of my mum’s delicious madeira cake – with its gentle lemony flavour.

My husband thinks this is my best cake texture yet, and I agree with him!  It is lovely and spongy, so delicious filled with lots of strawberry fruit-spread and covered with a generous amount of vegan squirty cream (ok, so that part wasn’t exactly a healthy choice, but kids and grown-ups loved it as a treat!).

Print Recipe

Lemon courgette celebration cake

Course

Desserts

Cuisine

Vegan

Servings

double layered cake

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

• 300 grams finely grated courgette I use my blender for this
• 55 grams odouless coconut oil melted
• 90 ml maple syrup
• 1 lemon, zest of

Dry ingredients

• 200 grams brown rice flour
• 75 grams coconut sugar
• 35 grams gram flour also known as chickpea flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Course Desserts Cuisine Vegan Servings double layered cake Ingredients Wet ingredients 300 grams finely grated courgette I use my blender for this 55 grams odouless coconut oil melted 90 ml maple syrup 1 lemon, zest of Dry ingredients 200 grams brown rice flour 75 grams coconut sugar 35 grams gram flour also known as chickpea flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celcius (fan) and line two 7 inch cake tins with baking paper (I like to use the brand 'If You Care')
2. Mix the wet ingredients together in a bowl
3. In a separate, large bowl, sieve the dry ingredients and mix together
4. Now pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir well

   
5. Divide this beautiful mixture between the 2 lined cake tins (I weighed this to be approximately 390g in each tin), and cook them side by side in the centre of the oven for 38 minutes (this may sound crazily precise, but it works for me every time!).
6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool.
7. Now prepare your cake! You can put fruit-spread, jam, lemon curd, whipped coconut cream (or anything else you think will go nicely!) sandwiched between the 2 cakes, and top with whatever you choose (or nothing - it makes a beautiful bare cake too!)

   

We had both yellow and green courgettes this year, so in this cake I used the yellow courgettes for the colour, but either would taste just the same!