Michelle Darmody: How to Bake Chocolate and Courgette slices

You can serve this cake without the icing for a lighter version. It is also best to save the icing for later if you would like to freeze the slices. Once defrosted to room temperature add the icing.

We have had a warmer-than-usual summer, which means there are courgettes ripening a little quicker than in other years. They are also nice and plump, ideal for use in cakes and bakes. Courgettes not only add bulk to baking, they also keep moisture in a cake.

I grate them quite finely, as I like them to blend into the cake batter, but if you like a little bite, you can roughly grate them with the largest holes on your box grater.

I find the box grater is an essential item in my kitchen. I use it for all manner of cakes and bakes as well as savoury cooking. It is one of the first things I teach children to use when I am hosting cookery classes. When grating the courgettes, I leave the skin on. I simply trim the top and tail of the courgette and use the finer side of my box grater to grate the desired amount.

If the courgettes are very large and have turned into marrows, as some have this year with the heat, you can remove the seeds. The seeds only start to get hard when the courgettes are over eight inches in size; below this you usually just grate them in.

Over this size, cut the courgette — or marrow — in half, remove the seeds and grate the rest.

Chocolate & Courgette Slices

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

I like to blend the courgettes into the cake batter, but if you like a little bite, you can roughly grate them with the largest holes on your box grater.

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• 115g butter, soft

• 100ml light olive oil

• 350g golden caster sugar

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 115g natural yogurt

• 1 tsp baking powder, sieved

• ½ tsp bread soda, sieved

• 300g plain flour

• 65g cocoa powder

• 400g courgette, finely grated

• For the icing

• 100ml cream

• 15g butter

• 200g dark chocolate, broken into small even-sized pieces

Method

1. 1. Line a 9 x 13-inch cake tin with parchment.

2. 2. Preheat your oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3.

3. 3. Combine the butter, oil and sugar in a large bowl and beat in the eggs.

4. 4. Add the vanilla to the yogurt and set aside.

5. 5. Sieve the flour with the cocoa powder, baking powder and bread soda.

6. 6. Add a third of the yogurt to the butter mixture and combine.

7. 7. Add a third of the flour mixture and combine that as well.

8. 8. Continue with the next third of each, then the last third, until everything is combined.

9. 9. Stir in the grated courgette.

10. 10. Scoop the mixture into the prepared tin.

11. 11. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

12. 12. Allow to cool in the tin.

13. 13. To make the icing, heat the cream until just before it boils.

14. 14. Stir in the butter and chocolate pieces until melted and combined

15. 15. Allow to cool while the cake is cooling.

16. 16. Once they are both fully cooled, ice the top of the cake.

17. 17. Cut it into squares and serve.

BAKER'S TIPS

Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. They will combine better with the other ingredients.

You will note that there is both bread soda and baking powder in this recipe. While both are very similar ingredients, they do slightly different jobs. In this recipe, the bread soda raises the pH level which will help to form the crumb and also allows the surface of the cake to brown. The baking powder will not only add air for a better rise; it will also help to stabilise the cake’s structure. 

The acid in the yogurt helps to activate the bread soda and further helps to create that softer crumb. Its flavour also adds a nice tanginess that complements the cocoa powder.

You will know your cream is about to boil when it begins to shiver on the surface. It has a quick window before it boils, so it is worth keeping an eye on. If it boils it will form a skin and change in texture.

It is best to allow the cake to cool in the tin. This helps it retain the moisture from the courgettes as well as allowing it to firm up, giving it some extra strength before you slice it. Another benefit of leaving it in the tin to cool is that the cake can still gain heat from the tin and continue to bake a little as it cools.

You can serve this cake without the icing for a lighter version. It is also best to save the icing for later if you would like to freeze the slices. Once defrosted to room temperature add the icing.

The cake will last a few days in a cool place in an airtight container.

Three delicious variations

Raspberry and chocolate slices

Add fresh raspberries to the batter before scooping it into the tin. I then add freeze-dried raspberries to the top of the icing.

Double chocolate slices

Add 75g of dark chocolate chips and 75g of milk chocolate chips to the batter just before scooping it into the prepared tin.

It will add some extra chocolaty goodness to the cake.

Pistachio chocolate slices

To make this version, add 120g of chopped, shelled pistachios to the batter. They add a nutty crunchiness to the cake when it is baked. It is also nice to add a sprinkling of finely chopped pistachio to the top of the icing before you slice the cake.

A handful of edible rose petals adds a nice additional colour.