I came to the realization that I have not posted a cake for quite some time now. It was about time! But this apple, carrot, and zucchini or courgette cake with ginger and turmeric....?!?! oh boy, it is a cake that reaches a totally different level. Have you thought about having a cake and taking your 5 a day? This cake gives you just that so it has to be the ultimate cake.
It is soo flavourful, nice and moist on the inside and crisp on the outside. To me, it’s just that gorgeous, gorgeous treat that you could have a lot of.
Courgette cake you said?
I’ve been making this for quite a few years now and kids loved it from the first bite. Love at first taste you would say. You couldn't possibly love this cake especially if you are a carrot cake lover.
Five a day in a cake...ha!... yes it is possible
Yes, there are quite a few ingredients in here but you can easily mix and match the fruit and veg here as you wish. I also use pumpkin instead of courgette sometimes or carrots, which is also delicious.
I am sure you will love this color and flavor full cake as much as we do, it is pretty healthy considering most of the ingredients here, the apples, courgette or zucchini, walnuts, turmeric, coconut sugar, super nutritious.
a zucchini cake is A GREAT WAY TO HIDE VEGETABLES IN
A great way of making your children have some veggies that they may not have otherwise. I mean not all kids love zucchini, right?
Here you definitely find a cocktail of flavors, just imagine that slightly toasted walnuts, with lemon, freshly grated ginger, apple, carrot, and nutmeg oh, la la! I am happily singing now and almost feel like leaving my chair and all this writing and getting to the kitchen and making it again despite only having it a few days back.
Other fresh fruit recipes to enjoy
Do you like cakes that contain fresh fruits, here are some more to enjoy, a superb peach and blueberry one, another peach and almond flour cake recipe or even this fresh strawberries gateau.
There is a lot that can be said about this recipe but I will stop myself here and get the baking going. I am sure you can no longer wait to have a bite 😉
Tips:
* increase the sugar quantity if you like your cake any sweeter. I have made it with even less sugar than this and it was still beautiful. The frosting adds to its sweetness so bear that in mind.
* it is essential that the eggs are at room temperature when used.
* to keep this cake egg-free you can replace those with a tablespoon soaked chia seeds. Soak for at least 40 min.
* if using salted or slightly salted butter do not add any salt.
* the apples you can peel or leave the skin on for more fiber. I always use organic apples and therefore I never peel them.
Apple, carrot and courgette (zucchini) cake with ginger and turmeric
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 380 g spelt flour light and sweet
- 225 g butter softened
- 125 g grated courgette/zucchini
- 210 g carrot grated
- 150 g chopped apples
- 60 g walnuts chopped and toasted
- 250 g coconut sugar
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt *
- 1 orange or lemon its juice
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon soda bicarbonate
- 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
For frosting:
- 200 g Philadelphia cheese or any cream cheese
- 1 lemon its juice
- 90 g icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 180C or 350F and prepare two oven proof loaf pans (8X4in) by greasing those well with butter or line with parchment paper.
- Wash, peel and grate the carrots, courgette and chop the apples.
- Toast and chop the walnuts.
- Squeeze all the juice out of the courgette by using a clean kitchen towel or by simply squeezing a fair amount of grated courgette between your palms until you managed to squeeze all the juice out.
- In a freestanding mixer, mix the softened butter and the sugar until nice and creamy. Add the eggs one by one mixing 30 seconds between them.
- Add the orange or the lemon juice, salt (unless using slightly salted butter), vanilla and the freshly grated ginger. Mix for a further 30 seconds until it is all incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour with the soda bicarbonate, baking powder, turmeric and cinnamon powders as well as the freshly grated nutmeg.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix with a spatula until incorporated.
- Add the grated carrots, courgette and chopped apples and the toasted and chopped nuts. Mix all in with a spatula.
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tins and bake at 180C in the middle of the oven for about 50 min until it bounces back when pressed slightly and gently in the middle or until they become nice and golden brown. Turn midway if necessary.
- While the cake is baking prepare the frosting by whisking the cream cheese with the sugar and the lemon or orange juice. Add as much lemon/orange juice as needed until it gets to the desired fluidity/consistency, enough to make a beautiful drizzle.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely on a cooling rack before drizzling the frosting. Enjoy !
Notes
Nutrition
Jasmine says
Really tasty cake! Me and my 3 year old made it which was ambitious considering its is more complicated than the usual cakes and snacks we bake but worth it, so tasty! (Also not complicated if you don't have a 3 year old doing it with you!!) We split the mixture in half and did muffins and a small loaf cake which turned out great. Didn't have enough coconut sugar so did half caster sugar. Also added a dash of milk to loosen a bit. Thanks so much for the recipe! Does it freeze well? Jaz
Ramona says
Hi Jaz,
Awww, your comment made my day 😉 I am so glad your 3 year old is joining such baking ventures with mummy!! Well done you two! I am very impressed. It does freeze well and you can then thaw it and place back in the oven if its a muffin or in the toaster if its a sliced loaf - either way it it makes an amazing snack any time - a lot healthier too. Lately, I use dates powder as a sweetener - so much healthier and it makes this a totally guilt free snack treat or whatever you want to call it. Thank YOU so much for your lovely comment and for the time you took to give me a feedback. Thanks again and have a wonderful day!
Rosemary Richardson says
Really lovely. I used spreadable butter (a blend of butter and rapeseed oil) for less saturated fat, and replaced one third of the sugar with agave syrup to reduce the calories a bit. Turned out perfectly.
I used a mixture of pecan and walnuts in the cake, and added a good sprinkling of poppy seeds on top for even more fibre.
I took the cake out of my oven at about 55 mins and it was fine - lovely and moist inside and a nice crunch on the outside.
So nice to have a healthy snack that tastes so delicious - thank you Ramona ,🙂🙂
Ramona says
Thank you soo much dear Rosemary for your feedback, for kindly takig the time to review my recipe. I am super happy you loved the recipe and I am very impressed with your little customisations I especially loved the poppy seeds addition. I will remember to do that too as I do love the texture and subtle flavor these seeds give. Brilliant!! Thanks so much once again for your kind review. I much appreciate it.
Rosie says
Hi! Could I use almond flour instead of the spelt?
Thanks!
Ramona says
Hi Rosie,
You may certainly try, I have not tried that before but now that you have asked, I might try it. I am sure it will be something else but it can only be good taste wise, I am not sure if texture wise will work as well but can only try. 😉
Fiona says
This cake is super yum! I made it as a slab cake and added an orange zest and about 1/4 cup milk as it was a tad dry to mix. Flavours are super yum! Especially the ginger. Perfect for kids lunch box (I omitted nuts).
Ramona says
Thank you so much for your feedback dear Fiona, I am so happy you guys liked the cake.
Valerie says
Can I use whilemeal or multi grain flour
Ramona says
Hi Valerie,
You can try although just wholemeal might come a little drier- you can certainly give it a go as there is plenty of moist ingredients so, I am pretty certain it will work. Please do let me know how it came out. I am sure you will enjoy it no matter what as it is a delicious healthy treat.
Michelle says
This cake was so good. The kids were fighting over the last piece!
Addie says
I loved the flavors of this! So yummy!
Elizabeth says
Such a delicious recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Freya says
So delicious, and really easy to prep!
Linda says
Oh yum! This loaf cake has the best combination of flavors. Who would've thought of combining apple and zucchini with carrot cake?
Jeannie says
perfect combination the addition of ginger and turmeric gives that extra spice.
Oscar says
The turmeric with the apples was a great combination. Loved this recipe. Thank you.
Audrey says
The frosting adds such a nice touch!
Alexandra says
Absolutely delicious cake, and perfect with my morning coffee!
Veruschka says
Love this recipe. Absolutely delicious. A definite family family favourite. The combination of ingredients is brilliant. Totally Yum!
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Verusckha! I’m super happy you liked it too. We love it and it’s one of those desserts that are on the less guilt side 😅.
Thank you again for stopping by and leaving us a feedback. Much appreciated 💕
Feyi says
Really good loaf, I will make it a regular. My 4 year old son would never touch courgettes but he had no clue there was any in this. Such a good idea 😉
Ramona says
Thank you so much Feyi, good for fussy kids to take in some fruit and veg, for sure 😉
Kim says
Absolutely beautiful cake!!! Thank you for sharing this..it really is gorgeous.. I will be making another one soon..
I left out the cream cheese from the frosting, just used icing sugar with lime juice.
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Kim for stopping by and for your lovely feedback!
I am so happy you liked my apple, carrot and zucchini cake - we absolutely love it too (kids too) - it is absolutely beautiful and such a great way to hide some veg in especially for the fussy little ones 😉
The icing sugar and lime juice icing is such an awesome and flavoursome idea!
Kim says
Update: my partner is now addicted and I shared the cake with some colleagues the next day who were extremely complimentary- everyone has loved it.. and as you say, great way to get some secret extra veg as well.
Thank you again Ramona! 😊
Ramona says
Awe, thank you so much once again dear Kim! I’m chuffed and thank you for sharing the recipe - I really appreciate your kindness, truly do! I hope you’ll find other recipes you’ll like here and will certainly be nice to hear from you again.
🙏🏼😘
Lyn says
Really delicious, I didn't put the frosting on but still found it light, fluffy and worthy of sharing and repeat making.
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Lyn, I am super happy you also liked my apple carrot and zucchini cake. I adore this cake too 😉 Thank you again for your feedback. Have a wonderful day lovely! R xx
Lana says
Made this yesterday and my husband and I finished half a loaf in one evening. So good! Thank you for this recipe
Ramona says
Hi Lana,
Thank you so much for your feedback. I am so thrilled you guys loved this cake, it is definitely one of our top favourites and funny, kids love it too. A total winner, right?
Simone Stern says
Hi this cake looks delicious!
Can I use vegetable oil instead of butter to make it a dairy-free cake? If so what oil quatity would be equivilent/recommended please?
Thanks 😊
Ramona says
Hi Simone,
Thank you so much for your very good question.
Yes, absolutely! I have not used oil in this particular recipe but I make my carrot cake with oil so you can use vegetable oil or coconut oil and use 180 ml.
I hope you’ll make it and it’d be great to hear and know how it turned out for you 🤗
Carole June says
I have this cake baking in the oven at this moment - it looks & smells delicious, ca air to ice & taste! Will it keep fir a day or two?
Ramona says
Hi Carole, sorry for the late reply. Been away on holidays but I so hope you loved this cake and it turned out amazing for you too. ??
Nikole says
What a perfect cake for fall. And I love that I can use up some extra carrots and zucchini from dinner the other night! Great idea!
Ramona says
Thank you Nikole, I am really glad you liked the recipe, it is perfect for this season but truthfully, it is a cake that’s good any time all throughout the year 😉
Patty says
This cake looks so full of umami flavors, I can understand why your children loved it at first bite, must absolutely try it a.s.a.p., perfect for the season!
Ramona says
Hi Patty, thanks so much, it really is a delightfully flavoursome cake that is soo good, it will be a regular, you must try it as soon as 😉
Beth says
oh my word! This is health food in cake form, lol! I love the addition of turmeric. I haven't tried that in a sweet dish, only savory! I have to give this a try!
Ramona says
Hi Beth, Thank you so much - it really is indeed! I use a lot of turmeric in my cooking but tonnes in baking too. I add it to breads, cakes even for colour in frosting - I am turmeric-mad I know 😉 lol. You must give this a try, I am so convinced you will love it. Have a lovely weekend!
Katie Crenshaw | A Fork's Tale says
This cake does look like a special treat. I love that the ingredients are so healthy. I am going to make a pretty batch for my family. This is the perfect time of year for all of those fall flavors!
Ramona says
Thank you Katie, I cannot wait for you to try this and maybe come back and let me know how did your family liked it 😉
Immaculate Ruému says
I love carrot cake, especially in the colder weather. The addition of ginger is just brilliant!
Ramona says
Thank you so much Immaculate. Fruit cakes are by far my faves too. Have a superb weekend!