Courgette and beetroot cake recipe

Something a little unusual but trust us it’s going to win you over!

Using vegetables in baking may seem strange, however vegetables are used in many cakes as they often have a very distinctive and sweet taste. Getting these sources of fibre in our diet in new and interesting ways is amazing, and even more perfect for the kids! It’s great using courgettes at this time of the season, however this recipe is adaptable all year round. Just substitute the weight of the courgette with an alternative vegetable. We especially love carrot and pumpkin. This cake is particularly great when you've got a glut of vegetables and you need creative ways to use them up.

Ingredients

• 250g (9oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 300g (10oz) muscovado sugar
• 5 eggs
• 100g (3 1/2oz) ground almonds
• 200g (7oz) self-raising flour
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 265g (9oz) courgette, grated
• 50g (2oz) cooked beetroot, grated

For the icing:

• 50g (2oz) butter, softened
• 350g (12oz) cream cheese
• 1tsp vanilla bean paste
• 200g (7oz) icing sugar
• 1/2tsp cornflour
• juice of 1 lemon
• edible flowers to decorate, optional

You will need:

• 3 x 19cm cake tins greased and lined

Method

1. Heat the oven to 130C, Gas 3/4. Cream the butter using an electric whisk until light and fluffy, add the sugar and mix together. Continue to mix and add the eggs a little at a time adding a spoonful of flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Sift over the flour and baking powder with the ground almond and fold in. Finally fold in the grated courgette and beetroot and divide equally into the 3 cake tins and bake for 40 mins. Once cooked tin out the cakes and cook on a cooling rack.
2. To make the icing: whisk the butter until soft, add the cream cheese and vanilla and mix until smooth. Sieve over the icing sugar and cornflour and whisk until thick, add the lemon juice and mix until combined.
3. To assemble: divide the frosting into 3 and spread a third over the bottom layer, place the middle layer on top and spread over another third of the frosting, followed by the top layer and remaining frosting. Decorate with edible flowers if using.