Chocolate Courgette Cake

Chocolate Courgette Cake

Ok so once again these cakes are not going to win any prizes for their looks, lets face it presentation is not my strong point! but these courgette cakes have a very subtle flavour neither the cocoa or courgette blow your mind they just work together to form a really moist cake and for me baking is all about the taste!

Ingredients

1 medium courgette (about 200g), peeled

150g unsalted butter 
150g light soft brown sugar 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
2 tbsp cocoa powder 
2 free range eggs 
250g self raising flour 
1 tbsp baking powder 
2 tbsp milk

For the Icing

150g icing sugar 
1 tbsp cocoa powder 
2 tbsp milk 

Method

• Preheat the oven to 160°C then finely grate your courgette. 

• In a separate bowl beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and cocoa until light and fluffy. 

• Gradually add the eggs with a little of the flour and beat well.

• Add the baking powder to the rest of the flour, then add to the butter mix along with the courgette and milk. Mix everything together.

•  Divide between 18-20 paper cases and bake for 15-20 mins until cooked through.

• Mix the icing sugar, cocoa and milk to a smooth paste and spoon a little over each cooled cake.

Homemade Butter

Home made butter

Homemade butter is a lot easier than I ever realised the method is really simple and the ingredients even more so. What's also worth taking into account is the fact that as the butter separates from the milk you are left with buttermilk which is not always readily available in British supermarkets so it can be popped in the fridge ready to made into something yummy!

Ingredients

900ml double cream

Method

• The first important thing is to start by bringing your cream up to room temperature I am insured that this makes a big difference to the way the butter will set.

• Put your cream into your food processor and start to mix I mixed mine on a slow to medium speed, but beware as the butter starts to solidify the leftover Buttermilk will fly out of the mixer try covering your mixer with a tea towel so that it doesn't fly out everywhere.

• Beat the cream until it starts to separate and become really lumpy (it looks a bit like scrambled egg) and you have lots of buttermilk in the bowl. 

• Drain the butter through a clean tea towel (Remembering to save the milk for later) Wrap the butter in a clean tea towel and wring it out. While it is still in your cloth rinse it in icy cold water, wringing it out as you go.

• Remove your butter from the cloth into a small bowl, add a little running ice cold water and work with a fork, pour the liquid out and repeat. Do this a few times until you notice the water becomes clearer. By doing this you are separating the butter from the liquid and the water helps you wash it out, this is why the water needs to be icy cold.  make sure you wash all the whey out of the butter as this will make it last longer, add a few pinches of salt or none if you choose.  (Though the salt also increases it’s shelf life.)  
• Place in the fridge until set then enjoy!

Good luck!