We are back at the mountain lodge for the weekend again. That fresh crispy mountain air, nature right at your doorstep… not forgetting that priceless pleasure sipping a cup of hot tea admiring the beautiful sunrise over the mountain… now that is what I call LIFE ! (well some of you might disagree with me 😛) The other rare luxury I get these days is being able to sleep past 8 am in my lovely warm bed all snuggled up next to my hubby enjoying the pleasure of waking up next to each other before Little One trot down the stairs like a little elephant announcing her arrival, then pushing me ‘Wake up mommy, wake up.” If I ignore her, she will say it louder into my ear ‘WAKE UP MOMMY! WAKE UP’ pulling the warm blanket away from me. *sigh* Well, that is what I usually get when she wakes up in a good mood. On normal days, she wakes up automatically at 7 am crying out ‘MOOMMMMMYYYY!’ woaaaaahhhhhh! Gotta love those morning calls – better than an alarm clock shooting you off the bed right away.
Now back to food. I had a bunch of tired looking carrots and zucchini (courgette) that have been sitting in the fridge for a week now and thought I better get rid of the evidence before my significant other say his infamous line “You always buy food, never cook it and let it rot in the fridge.”😛 Normally I bake either carrot or zucchini cake … never crossed my mind to combine them. I’m glad I did this time around – it turned out fantastically good. 🙂
Here are some nutrition facts about carrots and zucchini :
Zucchini are very low in calories, and is a very good source of fibre, folate, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin A, B6 & C, manganese, magnesium and iron. Always wash your zucchini but don’t peel because most of the nutrients are in the skin.
There are many ways of savouring zucchini – it can be steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or baked in cakes, bread or soufflés. It can also be eaten raw like salad.
Carrot is besides being well-known for its source of carotene – an anti-oxidant, it is also very rich in vitamin A, C, K, B1 & B6, potassium, iron, manganese, folate and also fiber. To obtain the maximum benefit from it, it is best eating it raw.
With these healthy benefits, all of us should eat more carrots and zucchini.🙂
This is my contribution to this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Dee of The Daily Tiffin.
Carrot-Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 340 g sugar (brown or white)
- 180 ml vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)
- 250 g plain flour
- 350 g carrot & zucchini (shredded)
- 15 g baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- some lemon zests
- a pinch of salt
Directions
- Preheat oven at 175°C (350°F – gas mark 4).
- In a big bowl, beat sugar and eggs together until creamy & fluffy.
- Add in the lemon zest & oil, making sure it is well blend in.
- Using a spoon, stir in the shift flour, spices, baking powder and salt until combined.
- Fold in the shredded and zucchini.
- Pour the batter into a buttered 9″ round baking mold.
- Bake it for about 50 minutes or until the tooth pick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the mold.
- Enjoy it with a cup of tea.
The Verdict
The texture is very light, soft and moist and needless to say, aromatic in taste.🙂 Frankly I myself was taken by surprise how light it tasted (like sponge cake) as I was expecting it to taste a bit heavy like a normal carrot cake. It’s hard to stop after a slice of it. By the end of the evening, all that was left of the cake is only a small quarter. The cake remained soft and moist even the next day.🙂
Notes
To have a variation of this cake, add some dark chocolate chips or walnuts.
As zucchini has high water content, you might have to drain off the water after shredding it if it is very fresh.
Only for the brave ones
I have replaced zucchini with a week old white turnips – the carrot-white turnips cake turns out equally delicious. My parents in law and friends love the taste and said that if I hadn’t told them the other main ingredient was white turnips, they wouldn’t know. They still can’t believe it that I actually put white turnips in this cake.😁 I do have to admit that during baking, my house do smell of turnips.😂 Hahaha.
