Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 300 g plain flour
- 8 g baking powder
- 5 g baking soda
- 6 g ground cinnamon
- 3 g ground nutmeg
- 4 g salt
Wet Ingredients
- 200 g caster sugar
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 240 ml vegetable oil
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 10 ml vanilla extract
Produce & Mix-ins
- 200 g banana, mashed
- 150 g carrot, peeled and finely grated
- 150 g courgette, finely grated
- 100 g pecans, toasted and chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 450 g cream cheese, room temperature
- 200 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 400 g icing sugar, sifted
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 2 g salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 871 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 91 g
- Fat
- 54 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 66 g
- Sodium
- 537 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 20 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 136 mg
- Potassium
- 293 mg
- Calcium
- 122 mg
- Iron
- 1.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 32 mg
- Phosphorus
- 156 mg
- Zinc
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 363 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 5 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 5 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.12 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.23 mg
- Niacin
- 0.8 mg
- Folate
- 29 mcg
- Water
- 75 g
- Alcohol
- 1 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F.
Grease the sides of two 20cm round cake tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
Place the grated courgette in a clean kitchen towel and twist tightly over a sink to squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible.
In a medium bowl, sift together the plain flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, vegetable oil, caster sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract until completely smooth and slightly pale in color.
Gently fold the sifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture until only a few flour streaks remain.
Add the mashed banana, grated carrot, squeezed courgette, and chopped pecans to the batter. Mix gently with a spatula just until the produce is evenly distributed.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake tins, smoothing the tops with an offset spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in their tins for 10 minutes. Carefully turn them out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
While the cakes cool, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese and unsalted butter together on medium speed until very smooth and completely lump-free.
Gradually add the sifted icing sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to the frosting mixture. Mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.
Place one cooled cake layer on a serving plate. Spread an even, generous layer of frosting over the top. Place the second layer on top and use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
Chill the assembled cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the soft frosting to set slightly before slicing and serving.
Chef's Notes
- Squeezing the courgette is the most critical step in this recipe. Excess vegetable moisture will throw off the liquid ratio and prevent the crumb from setting properly.
- Using oil instead of butter in the cake batter ensures the cake remains incredibly moist, even when chilled, because oil remains liquid at lower temperatures.
- For the smoothest cream cheese frosting, ensure you buy full-fat block cream cheese. Tub spreads contain added water and emulsifiers that will cause your frosting to turn soupy.
- If you want to elevate the flavor profile, lightly toast your pecans or walnuts in a dry skillet for 5 minutes before chopping and folding them into the batter.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Store in an airtight container to prevent the frosting from absorbing fridge odors.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze un-frosted cake layers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.
Troubleshooting
Cake layers are overly dense or gummy in the center
Cause: The courgette was not squeezed tightly enough, releasing excess water into the batter during baking.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked. Repurpose into cake truffles mixed with frosting.
Prevention: Vigorously squeeze the grated courgette in a clean kitchen towel until no more liquid drips out.
Frosting has small lumps of cream cheese or butter
Cause: The dairy ingredients were too cold when mixing began.
Fix: Microwave the frosting bowl for 5 to 10 seconds to gently warm it, then vigorously beat again.
Prevention: Allow cream cheese and butter to sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before making the frosting.
Cultural Context
This cake is a brilliant amalgamation of two beloved classics: the Southern American Hummingbird cake and the quintessential carrot cake. The addition of courgette draws on a technique popularized during 1940s wartime rationing in Britain, where vegetables were used to add moisture and perceived sweetness when fats and sugars were scarce.
