Cake recipes using vegetables, as tasted at Cottenham’s VEGFEST on 5th September 2021.
- Lemon marrow cake (vegan)
- Chocolate beetroot cake (two versions – one using raw beetroot and one cooked)
- Courgette cake
- Carrot cake (vegan)
Lemon marrow cake (vegan)
Ingredients (makes 10 slices):
- 350g marrow or courgette, prepared weight
- 110g vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp ground flax seeds
- 150g golden caster sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 300g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
For the lemon glaze
- 80g icing sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Method:
Preheat your oven to 170C (350F). Line a 2 lb (900g) loaf tine with baking paper – leaving some overhanging to help lift the cake out when ready.
To make flax ‘eggs’, add the ground flax seeds to a small bowl or cup with 6 Tbsp water. Stir to combine and leave to sit for at least 5 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients and it’ll turn gloopy in this time.
Cut the marrow into slices, and scoop out the spongy centre and seeds, but no need to peel. If using courgettes, there’s no need to scoop out any flesh. Use a box grater to coarsely grate the marrow or courgette – you should have 350g grated marrow.
Place the grated marrow in a clean tea towel and squeeze out most of the moisture. If you do this into a bowl on the scales, you should weigh about 75g of liquid removed. Discard the liquid.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, flax ‘eggs’, sugar, lemon zest and juice together until smooth, then stir in the grated marrow. Sift in the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt and gently combine.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, and bake in the oven for around 70 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin.
To make the lemon glaze, simply mix the lemon juice and icing sugar together in a cup until smooth. When the cake is cooled, drizzle over the top and sprinkle with extra lemon zest to decorate.
Chocolate beetroot cake (raw beetroot)
- 250g good quality plain chocolate, melted
- 3 large eggs
- 150 – 200g light muscovado sugar
- 100 mls oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g SR Flour
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 50g ground almonds
- 250g raw beetroot
Preheat oven to 160 C. Grease and line 22cm round tin.
Place eggs, sugar, oil in bowl and mix for 3 mins. Stir in vanilla. Sift in flour and dry ingredients. Grate raw beetroot and squeeze excess fluid. Fold into mix and add cooled chocolate.
Pour into prepared tin, cook for 50-60 mins. Cover with foil if browns too quickly.
Cool in tin, remove and serve with raspberries etc, greek yogurt or creme fraiche.
Beetroot and chocolate cake (cooked beetroot)
Ingredients
- 50g cocoa powder
- 175g plain flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 200g caster sugar
- 250g cooked beetroot
- 3 medium eggs
- 200ml sunflower oil
- icing sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C, then grease and line the bottom of a 23cm springform cake tin or 2lb loaf tin. Sieve the cocoa, flour, baking powder and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
Drain and halve the beetroot, then blend in a food processor. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time, then pour in the oil. Blend the mixture until the liquid is just smooth.
Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix in the chocolate. Pour into the tin and cook for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Courgette cake
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 125ml vegetable oil
- 85g soft brown sugar
- 350g courgette, coarsely grated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 300g plain flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda, ½ tsp baking powder
- 85g walnut, roughly chopped (optional)
Method
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and sugar, then add the courgettes and vanilla.
In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients with a pinch of salt.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then pour into the tin. Bake for 1 hr, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool, then serve, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Carrot cake (vegan)
- 200g sugar
- 6fl oz vegetable oil
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 1.5. tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 175 g plain flour
- 3 eggs /egg substitute
- 175g grated carrot
- 75g chopped walnuts
Pre-heat the oven to 150 deg C.
Mix the sugar and the oil. Add the eggs one at a time/add the egg substitute.
Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the oil and sugar mixture. Stir in the carrots and walnuts.
Pour into a 10″ cake tin and cook for 1 hr 10 minutes or until cooked in the middle.