Zucchini (courgette) and lemon bundt cake

Once again I am back from a week away in the Czech Republic and have subsequently gone baking mad this weekend.

First up is a simple but delicious cake, that is packed with some hidden veg! I am entering it into this months alpha bakes as the letter this month is the rather tricky z. I lived in America for a little while so I do not feel too cheeky using the American word, zucchini, instead of courgette.

The courgette adds moisture and pairs well with the zingy lemon. You could peel the courgette if you do not want flecks of green in your cake, or if you want to hide the courgette and feed it to a veg hater. I did not peel it because I was lazy and also think the green flecks are pretty.

Zuchinni and lemon bundt cake

2 medium courgettes
170g butter
3 eggs
300g caster sugar
Zest and juice of a lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla
200g self raising flour
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 160C/140C FAN and grease and flour a bundt tin. 

Coarsely grate the courgette and using a clean tea towel squeeze out the water. 

Gently melt the butter over a low heat and set aside.

With a fork whisk briefly the eggs and sugar together to combine them. Again with a fork, whisk in the butter, lemon zest, a tablespoon of lemon juice, vanilla and courgette. Finally whisk in the flour and salt.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes until golden and springy.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for '15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

I like this cake just as it is, no glaze or icing, a sprinkle of icing sugar was all it needed to make it smart enough for morning tea.

This cake was so good, it had people coming back for seconds. The courgette made the cake moist but not damp, and the lemon provided freshness and flavour. This is one to make again and NOT take into work!