Courgette, lime and chocolate cake

I have in my ‘possession’ a 3 year old vegetable rejecter. Lawrence is not a fan of anything green, unless it’s a lollipop. Then he will just about tolerate it, but would much prefer the red or range lolly variety.

Anyway, I am back to my old vegetable smuggling ways. And this courgette cake is now on the must make list. (Well, it is coupled with cocoa and lime). Think those old fashioned chocolate lime boiled sweets but in a pillowly soft traybake cake and you’re half way there.

This recipe first appeared in Back to School magazine.

Lots of great recipes like this in my books, Recipes from a Normal Mum and The Power of Frozen.

One year ago: Choc nut flapjack, Oat pizzas, Chai smoothie and Oat baked salmon fishfingers.

Two years ago: Roasted rainbow roots and pan fried pork, Banana and chia porridge bread, Baked tortilla, Roasted cauliflower, celery and garlic soup, Garlic, lemon and sweet chilli chicken, Oreo peanut butter brownies and Skinny orange and cardamom tealoaf.

Three years ago: Lamb and pea pie on This Morning, Halloumi, courgette and carrot fritters, Crunchy piggy meatballs (also on This Morning) and Granola breakfast muffins.

Four years ago: Lemon & blueberry loaf, my Bake Off Cherry Bakewell inspired cupcakes, plus Sesame bread sticks

Five years ago: Love cupcakes, White chocolate, lemon and macadamia cake and a perfect wintery Roasted celeriac, carrot and parsnip soup.

Six years ago: Bake me not chocolate cake, Jelly and ice-cream meringue roulade, Good flapjack and Banana, butterscotch and fig traybake.

Seven (how did that happen??) years ago: Treasure hunt ice-cream, Rhubarb and ginger chutney and Carrot cake.

Courgette, lime and chocolate cake

Ingredients:

· 90g soft salted butter

· Zest of 1 lime

· 220g caster sugar

· 190g self raising flour

· 40g cocoa powder

· 2 large eggs at room temperature

· 60mls milk

· 1 medium courgette, topped and tailed and grated, including the skin (185g)

Line a 20 x 20cm traybake tin with non stick baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4.

Mix all the ingredients together in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer or with a wooden spoon for about 3 – 5 minutes until the mixture is creamy looking. (It will appear dry to begin with until the courgette releases water).

Spoon into the prepared tin, level with a spoon and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until well risen and a toothpick comes out of the centre of the cake clean. Cool on a wire rack, then cut into squares and serve.

This cake freezes perfectly for lunchboxes, in well wrapped portions. It keeps at room temperature for 3 days.

Photography: Scott Choucino (http://scottchoucino.com/ )