Move over Carrot Cake, the latest tea time treat is Courgette Cake. This recipe is a great way to use up any courgettes you have over bought or grown too many of. You could even kid yourself that as it’s used in the recipe, it must count as one of your your five a day. Either reason, the courgette makes this cake moist and delicious.

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RECIPE

Courgette and Orange Cake
(Adapted by BBC Good Food)

Cuts into 8 large slices

For the cake

350g courgettes (no need to peel them) – 87p
200g soft brown sugar – 40p
125ml sunflower oil – 10p
3 large eggs, lightly beaten – 42p
Grated zest 1 orange – 30p
1 teaspoon vanilla extract – 2p
100g sultanas – 17p
300g self raising flour – 10p
1 teaspoon baking powder – 2p

These prices are an estimate and total £2.40

For the decorating

100g icing sugar, sifted
Good grating of orange zest and juice

Method

Heat oven to 180C or Gas mark 4. Lightly oil and line a 1kg loaf tin with a strip of baking parchment.

Finely grate the courgettes, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can with your hands (too much will make the cake soggy).

Stir the courgettes with the sugar, sunflower oil, eggs, orange zest, vanilla and sultanas, then fold in the flour and baking powder until they disappear, but don’t over mix.

Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

Once the cake has cooled make the icing by mixing the orange juice with the icing sugar and spread over the top of cake then scatter with the zest.