Zucchini Cake with Lemon Curd Filling
An incredibly moist, delicious zucchini cake with a lemon curd filling and cream cheese frosting. Adapted from Nigella Lawson's courgette cake recipe.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, british
Keyword: courgette, lemon curd, tart, zucchini
Servings: 8
Calories: 423kcal
Author: Emily Clifton, Nerds with Knives
For the cake
- 1 1/4 lb green or yellow zucchini (courgettes) (3 to 4 medium zucchinis)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence or paste
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup plus one tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose or cake flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- zest from one lemon or lime
For the frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar sifted
- 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice from one lemon or lime (use zest for cake)
- 2-3 tbsp lightly chopped pistachio nuts
To bake the cake
Preheat oven to 350ºF
Grate zucchini (don’t peel them) using a food processor fitted with the grating blade or the coarse side of a box grater. Don’t go too fine or they can turn into a wet mush. When you’ve grated them, put them in a sieve over the sink to drain. If they seem very wet, you can squeeze the liquid out with a tea towel.
Put the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl and beat them until creamy. Sift in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and continue to beat until well combined. Now stir in the grated zucchini.
Pour the mixture into the pans, and bake for 30 minutes until slightly browned and firm to the touch. Leave in their pans on a rack for 5 – 10 minutes, then turn out and let cool on the rack until your filling and icing are ready.
To make the frosting
While the cake is cooling, beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth, add the confectioners’ sugar, beating well to combine, and then stir in the lemon juice to taste. Keep at room temperature.
Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 582IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg