[Lardman]

I made some courgette cup cakes today  They were fine, but the courgette was a little lacking, have gurgled around a bit, most of the recipes seems to be cake with courgette in it rather than courgette cake.  How much courgette can I add without the cake falling apart ?

[Mrs Bee]

If you want a really indulgent courgette cake that freezes

3 large eggs
300ml sunflower oil
300g soft brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
300g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp bicarb
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 ground ginger
1/2 nutmeg
100g grated courgettes
100g walnuts
Oven 170C
3x 8 or 9" sandwich tins base lined

Whisk oil and sugar and vanillla until thick and mousselike.
Continue whisking and add the oil in a steady stream.
Sift all the dry ingredients and then fold into the eggs.
Lastly add the chopped walnuts.
Divide between the tins and bake for between 35-40  mins.

Sandwhich and cover the cake with the following cream cheese icing.
100g unsalted butter.
300g cream cheese at room temperature
100g of icing sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
beat the butter and icing sugar until white and fluffly and then fold in the cream cheese gently until just mixed in. Do not over beat it or it will go runny.

[mumofstig]

not many courgettes in that recipe either 

this one has more in
http://sotongcooks.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/aunt-floras-famous-courgette-cake.html

[Mrs Bee]

No, but it is terribly gorgeous.

[Lardman]

No, but it is terribly gorgeous.

Bet it wont be if I make it   

I feel an experiment is required.

[tosca100]

I made these the other day, went down well with the neighbours, courgette and chocolate muffins.

250g grated courgettes
3 eggs
250ml oil
300g sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla
375g plain flour
5 tbsp cocoa (works ok with less, used the last of mine and can't find it here)
1 tsp bicarb
half tsp baking powder
quarter tsp each cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg. (I put less, and they were spicy enough)
1 tsp salt
I put choc chips on top

Whisk together oil, sugar and eggs. Add courgette and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Simple.
Makes two dozen muffins

Bake for about 20 minutes at 180/gas 4

Eat

[Lardman]

It's still around 5:1 cake to courgette. I'm looking to bump it up to 2:1 or even 1:1    When I've dealt the the Monday morning madness I'm going to run some tests.

[Lardman]

First set in the oven 

2 x 1:1
2 x 3:4
2 x 1:2

Batter / cake mix was

3 eggs
150 oil
150 sugar
175 SR flour
3t dark rum 

All whisked together, no folding or sifting here    It was a little thicker than I've been using, that might be that the eggs were on the small size.

Courgettes were grated but not pressed, squeezed or dried out.

[Beetroot queen]

Wheres the pic lardman, come on we know you can do pics. 

[Lardman]

Wheres the pic lardman, come on we know you can do pics. 

Good job I took some of batch 1 then. I've been side tracked.  Bet you can guess which is which.

Batch 2 was

2x 1:3
2x 1:4
2x 1:5

No pictures of those though ... burp 

To answer my original question around 1:2 / 1:3 is about as far as you can go without the end product being wrong - not unpleasant by any means but just not 'cake'.

I shall sleep better for knowing, even if I do feel a little sick now.    At least it was all in the interest of science.   

[Coldfeet]

I've just made this one:
Courgette and nut Cake:

185g walnuts and pecans mixed
500g  grated courgettes
250ml oil –
170g demerara sugar
3 eggs
310g self-raising flour, sifted (I used 275g wholemeal + 2.5 tsp baking pdr topped up with white SR)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
a splash of milk, if necessary
Method
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3
Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. (I used an 8x10 tin plus 6 muffin cases for 'overflow)
Mix together courgettes, oil, sugar, eggs.  Add the chopped nuts.
Gradually add the flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add a splash of milk to the mixture to add a bit more wetness if needed. the mixture.   Pour the mixture into the tin.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 45mins until a cake tester (or knife) comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
(If you bake them as muffins, then they need 25-30 minutes, but check them with a skewer to ensure that they are done.)
Let the cake cool in the tin.

Don't know the ratio, but it seemed like a lot of courgette and REALLY good!

[Lardman]

Don't know the ratio, but it seemed like a lot of courgette and REALLY good!

I make it roughly 1:2, 1 part courgette to 2 parts cake mixture. 

[Coldfeet]

Seems to support your research then!   

[compostqueen]

Courgette cake and muffins are a fab way to use up all those ruddy fruits 

Many folks are prejudiced and won't eat them. More fool them 

[devonbarmygardener]

Wheres the pic lardman, come on we know you can do pics. 

Good job I took some of batch 1 then. I've been side tracked.  Bet you can guess which is which.

Batch 2 was

2x 1:3
2x 1:4
2x 1:5

No pictures of those though ... burp 

To answer my original question around 1:2 / 1:3 is about as far as you can go without the end product being wrong - not unpleasant by any means but just not 'cake'.

I shall sleep better for knowing, even if I do feel a little sick now.    At least it was all in the interest of science.   

Is the seal on your oven ok Lardman?
I only ask as 3 muffins have risen and 3 have sunk - looks like inconsistent heat in the oven

I always use my fan oven function for baking.