ROOTS & WINGS

29. Zucchini-Hazelnut Cake

Well, when you can make "28. Zucchini-Parmesan Waffles"  from these, you can also make cake from 'em, eh? And not that bad a cake, if I may say
so. Although...

One downer.

It wasn't as good as it could've been.

For MY taste it was the wrong nuts. Zucchs and hazel didn't go well for ME – but that doesn't mean it has for YOU, when you try this one out. I've made a cake with zucchs before, "28. Zucchini-Chocolate Cake" , and that was just fine – and no, not solely because of the chocolate. I suppose for ME this one might've worked better with almonds.

Anyway, don't get me wrong: I'm whining about First World Problems here.

This cake is as healthy as it gets, because of the nuts, canola oil and the fruit/veg. It's nutritious and sating – because of the high nut portion. It made part of breakfast and dessert after lunch for almost a whole week.

Despite my MiMiMi above, definitely not a culinary DOA but like... 90 out 100%.

Good enough IMHO – so, off to the kitchen!




Serves: 8-12 pieces

Prep Time: about 1 hr PLUS cooling off time

Degree of Difficulty: Easy




WE NEED


CAKE


4 eggs
200 gr / 7 oz. sugar
120 ml / 4 US fl.oz. canola oil
700 gr / 1.5 lb. zucchini
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp lime zest That's about 2 limes.
200 gr / 7 oz. hazelnuts I floured whole nuts myself.
250 gr / 8.8 oz. flour
1 pck baking powder
1 pinch salt



TOPPING Since I didn't want it TOO sweet, because of my pre-diabetes – and it's darn sweet – I used the topping of the carrot cake frosting from Marc Hoffman's New York Cult Recipes


100 gr / 3.5 oz. butter
150 gr / 5.25 oz. cream cheese Plain, 20% fat.
100 gr / 3.5 oz. icing sugar
PLUS: the juice of the limes from above.




WE DO


1. PREP: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F top-/bottom heat OR 160°C/320°F fan/convection. According to recipe the former's better Line a 26 cm / 10.25 in springform with baking paper.

Wash hot + grate the zucchini. Wash hot + scrub the lemon + limes. To remove pesticides Press out & zest lemon + limes. Mix hazelnuts flour, flour, baking powder + salt.


2. Beat eggs, sugar + canola oil until frothy. Fold the zucchini into the egg mass with a spatula, and mix in lemon juice + lime zest. Last, fold in the nut-flour mix.


3. Fill the dough into the tin and bake for 30-40 minutes OR until it's golden-brown. Since every oven's different that can take longer/shorter


4. Remove the cake from the oven, let it cool briefly and loosen the tin's rim. Then, let it cool off completely.


5. For the TOPPING, sieve the icing sugar – honestly, or you get it all blobby, which happened to me! – and beat it with butter + cream cheese until well-combined. Add the lime juice tsp-wise – so the topping doesn't get TOO liquid There may be juice remains. Mix them into a smoothie, salad dressing, handmade lemonade... Spread the topping over the cake with a spatula and sprinkle with the lemon zest.


6. Serve.



Guten (healthy!) Hunger!