Spiced with Cinnamon and Nutmeg
Good old sunshine is back again after many days of rain and grey sky. Yesterday’s weather was so good (all my windows were open) and we had a nice, steady breeze throughout the day and night. Today it’s hot. No more open windows or breezy moments.
I have just been wondering why Zucchini (courgette) is such a multipurpose vegetable. Ever thought about this? It’s one of those vegetables that can be boiled or steamed, grilled or barbequed, used in stuffing, baked in cakes and muffins, used in soups and stews, fried or just eaten raw. And did you know, it’s harvested whilst still immature; otherwise it can grow up to 1m long! What would you do with a one metre long and fibrous Zucchini?
Today, I want to share a recipe for Zucchini Apple Apricot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. I added some dried apricots to it and spiced it with cinnamon and nutmeg. The cake tasted very nice. I think you have to try it to completely get what I mean. If you ever find time to try it, please give me a feedback and if not just enjoy the cake and let others know how well it tasted! Hope you enjoy eating the cake!
Please, always remember to assemble all ingredients before you start.
Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), cinnamon, nutmeg and salt (if using) into a bowl.
Combine butter, sugar, lemon or lime zest (rind) and essence
and beat with an electric mixer until flight and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended.
Mixture should look like this after all eggs have been added.
Stir half sifted flour, alternately with the buttermilk and then the rest alternating with buttermilk.
Fold in zucchini, apples and apricots.
Spoon the final batter into pan and bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake come out clean.
Leave to stand 10 minutes before transferring onto wire rack to cool.
To prepare frosting simmer apricots and water over low heat until apricots are soft. Set aside to cool.
Beat the cream cheese, apricot mixture and lemon juice in a large bowl.
Stir in confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar).
The frosting is not very thick if you’d like it thicker, then reduce the amount of water added to apricots to about half a cup (120 ml)
Spread the frosting on the cake.
And then decorate as desired and cut into cubes as desired.
I enjoyed eating this cake and I hope you do too!
Zucchini Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Preparation time: 25 minutes; Baking time: 45 minutes; Makes: 9-inch (23cm) square cake
Ingredients
- 125g (1 cup, 4½oz) all-purpose flour
- 100g (¾cup, 3½oz) whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
- 125g (½ cup, 4½oz, 1 stick + 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
- 150g (¾ cup, 5½oz) sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lime or lemon zest (rind)
- 1 teaspoon lemon essence (extract)
- 2 large eggs
- 130g (1 cup, 4½oz)) grated zucchini (courgette), water squeezed out
- 70g (1 cup, 2½oz) grated apple or one medium apple grated
- 30g (¼ cup), dried apricots, finely chopped
- 90ml (⅓ cup, 3floz) buttermilk
FROSTING (please note: I used only half of this recipe to frost the top of the cake)
- 60g (½ cup, 2oz) finely chopped dried apricots
- 180ml (¾ cup, 6floz) water
- 250g (9oz) cream cheese softened
- 1 cup (150g) confectioners (icing sugar)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360°F (180°C, Gas 4). Grease and line a 9” (23cm) square baking pan with parchment (greaseproof) paper.
- Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), cinnamon, nutmeg and salt (if using) into a bowl.
- Beat butter, sugar, lemon or lime zest (rind) and essence with an electric mixer until flight and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended.
- Stir half sifted flour, alternately with the buttermilk and then the rest alternating with buttermilk. Fold in zucchini apples and apricots. Spoon the batter into pan and bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake come out clean. Leave to stand 10 minutes before transferring onto wire rack to cool.
- To prepare frosting simmer apricots and water over low heat until apricots are soft. Set aside to cool. Beat the cream cheese, apricot mixture and lemon juice in a large bowl. Stir in confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar). Spread the frosting on the cake.
- For cup measures: spoon the flour into the cup, heaping it up over the top, then slide a knife across the top to level off the extra. Be careful not to shake or tap the cup to settle down the flour or you will have more than you need. I use a 240ml American cup.
Points to Note:
- Please note that oven temperatures are given as a guideline only. You may need to add or reduce the suggested temperature depending on your oven. I baked the cake at 360°F (180°C) for 40 minutes.
- Last Updated: April 1, 2018
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[…] year, I made a Zucchini Apple Apricot Cake. Apples and Apricots are a great combination, both in flavour, and colour combination. The best part […]
Liz, this pretty cake looks SO moist! 🙂
Hi Shanna,
This is one of my best cakes. It’s very moist and lovely to eat, thanks. Have a lovely day!
Liz
Ah. This is the one I should make first. My hubby adores any cake or bread with zucchini. I think the vegetables helps yield a very moist pastry, too. 🙂
I think he’ll like it. I shall keep my fingers crossed, Enjoy your weekend. Xozo to the little ones. They are so cute!
Thank you, Liz! You are so kind.
I will obtain some zucchini when I go to market this weekend. 🙂
Happy Baking!!!!
Oh, the same to you! 🙂 xx
This combination is really interesting! For some reason I link zucchini with carrots in baked goods, I’d never think of apricots…it looks lovely!
And it tastes lovely too. If you ever get some time you should try it. It’s one of my favourite cakes. Thanks for being here after a long spell of silence. I wish you all the best during the fasting month!
I’d love to. =) Thank you for your kindness, I hope your month is blessed as well.
Thanks!!!
With so much fruit and a vegetable in it, this is one healthy cake! I won’t feel so bad reaching for a third piece. 🙂
Looks like a great recipe, Liz. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks John for being here, three times and for your patience and understanding. This cake tastes really nice. It’s one of my favourites. I wish I could mail you a slice. Thanks for stopping by and wish you a wonderful week ahead.
I had to read the title of this recipe twice: veg.. fruit….cake?! This recipe sounds fabulous!!!
And tastes fabulous too. How’s your summer. I’m sure you are enjoying yourself tremendously. I can just imagine all the trips you’re making and all the experiences you’re having. Thanks for thinking about me. I know I can always rely on you. Have a great week, ahead!
Summer really is amazing – somehow it catches me by suprise every year. I always forget how life seems to become ligther and you have more drive (and less time :-> )
Don’t we all wish we had 26 hours or more in a day! Time does fly so fast, but that only confirms that you’re enjoying yourself, and that’s what matters!!! Enjoy the rest of the week!!
This recipe comes with the perfect timing. I’ve always wanted to try baking a quick bread with zucchini and this looks awesome!
I can’t imagine a 1m long zucchini! I also love to make zucchini “pasta.” It’s light and refreshing 🙂
I saw the zucchini pasta. Very interesting. I do agree that it’s light and refreshing because I love zucchini. The 1m long zucchinis don’t have a very pleasant taste. Thanks and best wishes!
And it tastes awesome too, If you make it, please enjoy eating it. Thanks for visiting my blog and enjoy the rest of the weekend!!!
Yum! This looks lovely. I’m a huge fan of cream cheese frosting, perfect topping to a cake such as this one. Thanks for sharing!
I also adore cream cheese so that makes the two of us. It tasted really nice and the frosting really enhanced the flavour. Thanks, Dewi for being here!! Best wishes!
Hi from Germany! I’ll tell you what I did with a one-meter-long, fibrous zucchini: pickled zucchini! I’ll give you the recipe when I get back to Canada.
Hi Karen,
I have really missed you. How is Germany? what are you eating? not some fibrous Zucchini I hope. I know you are enjoying yourself and so are the kids. I look forward to the 1 m long fibrous Zucchini recipe. Enjoy your holidays and big XOXO to the boys.
LIz
I hated zucchini as a child… probably something to do with the way my mother prepared it – boiled almost to the point of non-recognition! I’m going to give this a go. I’ll be blogging this week about an amazing zucchini pesto I made last week with linseeds, pine nuts, parmesan, parsley and thyme. It was beautiful! Long live the zucchini!!!
I can imagine, zucchini boiled, to non-recognition. It tastes awful. I always prefer it crunchy. I look forward to your post on zucchini pesto with pine nuts and Parmesan..I shall give it a go once you post it. Thanks so much for leaving me this note. Zucchini should live longer, I agree with you. Enjoy your weekend!
What a beautiful cake. I like your reminder about getting having all ingredients assembled before you start! Sure makes the whole process go together smoothly. I love the way you decorated the cake too.
Thanks so much for liking the cake. That means a lot to me. It gives me the strength to continue blogging. My friend said she feels like she is having her own TV show once all the ingredients are assembled. Sometimes I feel the same way too. I wish you a great weekend!!! thanks for stopping here!
That is so funny…I too have thought the same thing. 🙂
It’s funny how human beings have the same thoughts. I am still on your blog trying to find a recipe to make. I shall be cooking from other blogs this summer, so am busy window shopping for simple and delicious recipes. Have a good night!
This looks great! Must be quite moist with the zucchini, apple and apricots in it… I have not yet tried to bake with zucchini, but now I am tempted to. Thanks Liz.
You should give it a try. I really enjoyed this cake. It’s one of my favourites. I wish you a great weekend!
cool! we’re both writing about zucchini. my favorite. going to try this when my crop starts coming in.
I loved what you did with your Zucchini. It looked very nice. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful week!!!
Liz, you always post such interesting recipes. I’ve made zucchini cakes in the past but never thought to add apricots or apples! When my boys were young I often grated things like zucchini and carrots into things they liked and they never knew! I love the versatility of this vegetable. Thank you for posting and I might borrow this recipe for my next trip to the farmers market for zucchini! Great photos!
Sandy thanks so much for always being here. I love apples and Apricots. They always enhance the flavour of the cake. It’s funny how your boys never realized you added zucchini and carrots to the cake. Please borrow the recipe and make the cake sometime, it tasted really nice. Thanks so much and have a good night and a wonderful weekend!
This looks really tasty. A must pin.
Thanks for pinning. It tasted really nice. Have a wonderful weekend!!!
Wow, I never knew that you can use Zucchini in baking! I need to ask everyone I know if they have seen a zucchini in the province! (I’m crossing my fingers very hard that the big supermarket in the city sells zucchinis!) 😀
Zucchini is used in baking and in many other foods like stews and soups. If you find them, please make the cake. It’s very tasty. Thanks for being here and enjoy your week!!