Hazelnut courgette cake

Another wonderful courgette cake—this time made with hazelnuts. Soft, moist (like all courgette cakes), intensely nutty, delicately spiced with cinnamon and finished with a glossy chocolate glaze. The batter also works beautifully for muffins. Who could resist? 🙂 

Ingredients for the hazelnut courgette cake:

• 250 g plain flour
• 200 g ground hazelnuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt
• 3 large eggs
• 150 ml sunflower or rapeseed oil
• 180 g light soft brown sugar
• 250 g courgette, coarsely grated (wash the courgette, trim the ends and grate with the skin on; do not squeeze out the moisture; if using a large courgette, remove the seedy centre first)

All ingredients should be at room temperature. Mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt, then sift into a bowl. Stir in the ground hazelnuts and set aside.

In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs, oil and sugar. Add the dry ingredients and fold together gently with a spatula, mixing only until combined. Add the grated courgette and stir briefly until evenly incorporated. Line the base of a 23 cm round cake tin with baking parchment. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.

Bake at 170°C for approximately 35–40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove the hazelnut courgette cake from the oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Drizzle with the chocolate glaze and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts (about 4 tablespoons).

Ingredients for a chocolate glaze:

• 70 ml double cream
• 70 g dark chocolate (50% cocoa), finely chopped

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until almost boiling, then remove from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth and glossy. If necessary, strain through a sieve for an extra smooth finish.

Leave the glaze to thicken slightly before pouring over the cake.

Enjoy!