Raspberry, Chocolate & Courgette Cake

If you’re struggling to deal with a glut of courgettes this summer (they grow like blinkin’ wildfire), here’s a good way to use some up. It’s quite a rich cake and tastes great served with cream.

It works well as both a sandwich cake or a traybake (halve the ingredients if you want a small cake) and is a good way to getting two of your five a day – in cake form!

Serves 8

For the icing and filling

Pre heat your oven to 190°C.

Mix together the butter, oil and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time and beat the whole mixture together.

Mix in the milk and sift in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder and mix together.

Finally, mix in the courgette and vanilla essence and bake  for 35-45 minutes.

While it’s all cooking, mix together the chocolate icing. You can use more or less creme fraiche depending on how runny or thick you prefer it. Slap it on when the cake has cooled properly and decorate with raspberries before the icing sets.

This cake is best eaten on the day or the day after it’s baked; for some reason the courgettes make it go a bit stodgy as it ages.