Vegan courgette, orange and pistachio cake

Tin: 20 cm round cake tin
Oven: 170°C fan
Makes: 10–12 modest slices

Ingredients

For the cake

• 25 g shelled, unsalted pistachios
• 1 medium eating apple, enough to make 50 g apple purée
• Approximately 220–250 g courgette, enough to give 170 g after squeezing
• 180 g white self-raising flour
• 30 g wholemeal spelt flour
• 25 g ground almonds
• 1½teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• 65 g golden caster sugar
• Finely grated zest of 3 oranges
• 30 g thick, unsweetened oat yoghurt
• 30 g thick, unsweetened soya yoghurt
• 45 ml light olive oil
• 20 g refined coconut oil
• 20 ml unsweetened soya milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

For the orange drizzle

• 40 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
• 15 g caster sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven and prepare the tin

Heat the oven to 170°C fan.

Lightly grease a 20 cm round cake tin with oil.

Line the base with baking paper. Cut a strip of baking paper to line the sides, allowing it to rise slightly above the top of the tin.

Set the prepared tin aside.

2. Grind the pistachios

Make sure the blender is completely clean and dry.

Put the 25 g pistachios into the blender.

Take 1 tablespoon from the measured self-raising flour and add it to the pistachios. This helps the nuts grind evenly instead of turning into a paste.

Pulse the blender in short bursts until the pistachios resemble fine breadcrumbs.

Do not run the blender continuously. Stop as soon as they are finely ground, before they become oily.

Tip the ground pistachios into a large mixing bowl.

There is no need to wash the blender yet.

3. Make the apple purée

Peel the apple, remove the core and chop the flesh into small pieces.

Put the apple pieces into a microwave-safe bowl with 1 tablespoon of water.

Cover loosely and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Stir, then microwave for another 1–3 minutes, until the apple is completely soft.

Alternatively, cook the apple in a small covered saucepan with 1 tablespoon of water for approximately 8–10 minutes.

Put the softened apple and any remaining cooking liquid into the same blender used for the pistachios.

Blend until completely smooth.

Weigh out exactly 50 g apple purée and set it aside to cool.

Any leftover purée can be refrigerated and added to yoghurt or porridge.

4. Prepare and weigh the courgette

Coarsely grate approximately 220–250 g courgette.

Put the grated courgette into a clean tea towel.

Gather up the towel and squeeze the courgette firmly over the sink to remove the excess water.

The courgette should still feel damp and fluffy, but liquid should not drip out when it is lightly pressed.

Put the squeezed courgette on the scales and weigh out exactly 170 g.

Discard any excess or save it for another dish.

Set the weighed courgette aside.

5. Mix the dry ingredients

Add the following to the large bowl containing the ground pistachios:

• The remaining self-raising flour
• 30 g wholemeal spelt flour
• 25 g ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Mix thoroughly with a whisk or fork, breaking up any lumps.

Set the bowl aside.

6. Prepare the orange sugar

Put the 65 g golden caster sugar into a second large mixing bowl.

Finely grate the zest of all 3 oranges directly over the sugar.

Grate only the bright orange skin, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath.

Rub the zest into the sugar with clean fingertips for approximately 30 seconds, until the sugar feels slightly damp and smells strongly of orange.

7. Melt the coconut oil

Put the 20 g refined coconut oil into a small microwave-safe bowl.

Microwave for approximately 10–20 seconds, just until melted.

Leave it to stand briefly so that it remains liquid but is not hot.

8. Mix the wet ingredients

Add the following to the bowl containing the orange sugar:

• 50 g cooled apple purée
• 30 g oat yoghurt
• 30 g soya yoghurt
• 45 ml light olive oil
• 20 g melted coconut oil
• 20 ml soya milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Whisk until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined.

9. Make the cake batter

Pour the wet mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients.

Fold gently with a spatula or large metal spoon until the flour is almost incorporated.

Add the 170 g squeezed courgette.

Continue folding gently until the courgette is evenly distributed and no patches of dry flour remain.

Stop mixing as soon as the batter is even. Do not beat it, as overmixing can make the cake dense or rubbery.

The batter should be thick and spoonable, rather than runny.

10. Fill the tin

Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin.

Spread it evenly and smooth the surface gently with the back of a spoon.

Place the tin on the middle shelf of the preheated oven.

11. Bake the cake

Bake for 45 minutes without opening the oven.

After 45 minutes, insert a thin skewer into the exact centre of the cake.

The cake is ready when the skewer comes out with:

• no crumbs; or
• a few separate, soft crumbs.

The cake is not ready if the skewer has:

• wet batter;
• shiny paste; or
• sticky streaks.

If it is not ready, return it to the oven for 5 minutes, then check again.

If necessary, continue baking in further 3-minute intervals until the centre is properly cooked.

The total baking time will usually be approximately 45–52 minutes.

If the top becomes too dark after 35–40 minutes, lay a loose sheet of foil over the top. Do not wrap the foil tightly around the tin.

12. Make the orange drizzle

While the cake is baking, put the following into a small saucepan:

• 40 ml orange juice
• 15 g caster sugar

Heat gently, stirring, just until the sugar has dissolved.

Do not boil it for a long time or allow it to reduce into a thick syrup.

Remove it from the heat and set it aside.

13. Drizzle the hot cake

When the cake comes out of the oven, leave it in the tin.

Use a thin skewer to make small holes evenly over the surface. Do not make the holes excessively wide or deep.

Spoon one-third of the orange drizzle evenly over the cake.

Wait for approximately 1 minute, then spoon over another third.

Wait another minute, then add the remainder.

Adding the drizzle gradually helps it soak in evenly without creating wet patches.

14. Cool the cake

Leave the cake in the tin for 25 minutes.

Carefully remove it from the tin and transfer it to a cooling rack.

Allow it to cool completely before cutting.

Do not cut the cake while it is warm. A correctly cooked vegan courgette cake can still seem soft or damp before it has fully cooled and set.

Storage and serving

The cake can be eaten on the day it is made, but the texture and orange flavour may be even better the following day.

Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Bring refrigerated cake back to room temperature before serving. The coconut oil firms when chilled, so the cake will taste softer and more butter-like at room temperature.