Chocolate courgette cake

• Preparation Time 15 Minutes
• Baking Time 20-25 Minutes
• Serves 8

Vegan, Vegetarian, nut-free, gluten-free

I have made many vegan and gluten-free chocolate cakes and had some great successes. This is one cake, my vegetable hating partner ate with relish without realizing what it contained, I call that a win in my book.

It is so hard to believe that is both vegan and gluten-free and I fooled our friends. It is so unbelievably moist and that comes down to the grated courgette.

The courgette plays the same job that carrots do in a carrot cake, the difference is you cannot detect the courgette. It just provides a wonderful fudge like texture.

It would make a great cake for Christmas to make for yourself or friends and you could go wild with the icing and decorations. I hope you enjoy it.

• Fudgy
• Moist
• Delicious
• Decadent
• Chocolatey

Ingredients

Cake

• 250g plain flour (gluten-free if needed)
• 350g caster sugar
• 85g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 125ml vegetable oil
• 250g grated courgette
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 300ml dairy-free milk

Frosting

• 225g dairy-free butter
• 455g Icing sugar
• 75g Cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 tbsp dairy-free milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line 2 x 23cm sponge tins.
2. Into a large bowl sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, bicarbonate of soda. Stir in the sugar.
3. In a jug stir together the milk, oil, vanilla and stir until well combined and stir into the dry mix until incorporated.
4. Add the grated courgette and fold in.
5. Divide equally between the two tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until if a skewer is inserted it comes out cool. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack.

6. When you are ready to ice the cake combine all the ingredients for the icing together with an electric mixer. Then sandwich together with the frosting and the top.

PS: If you like this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Twitter as @veganalchemist1 or my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thegfveganalchemist I love seeing your versions of my recipes. Or I would love to hear your comments.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line 2 x 23cm sponge tins.
2. Into a large bowl sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, bicarbonate of soda. Stir in the sugar.
3. In a jug stir together the milk, oil, vanilla and stir until well combined and stir into the dry mix until incorporated.
4. Add the grated courgette and fold in.
5. Divide equally between the two tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until if a skewer is inserted it comes out cool. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack.

6. When you are ready to ice the cake combine all the ingredients for the icing together with an electric mixer. Then sandwich together with the buttercream and the top.

PS: If you like this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on twitter as @veganalchemist1 or my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thegfveganalchemist I love seeing your versions of my recipes. Or I would love to hear your comments

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