This courgette and lemon bundt turned out far better than I expected when I first tested the recipe. It is bright, gently lemony, and tender in a way that gluten-free cakes do not always manage.
Grated courgette adds moisture and a pale green speckle to the crumb. The sponge stays lovely and soft, and the lemon comes through cleanly without overpowering the bake.
The recipe is gluten-free thanks to a blended self-raising flour, and dairy-free too. I used Doves Farm on this bake, though your usual gluten-free flour mix should work if you prefer to blend your own.
All that moisture means the cake keeps well in a tin. The icing may sink into the sponge after a day or two, but that often deepens the lemon flavour rather than spoiling anything. Fair warning: one slice rarely feels like enough.
Baking notes
A few practical pointers before you start:
- Weigh the courgette before grating, and use the coarse side of the grater so it does not turn to mush.
- Let the grated courgette drain in a sieve while you mix the batter, especially if it looks very wet.
- No bundt tin? A deep 20cm round cake tin works well when greased with oil.
- Store the cooled cake in an airtight tin at room temperature, not the fridge, for the best texture.
A later twist on this bake
If you enjoy this flavour pairing, try the Courgette, Lemon & Thyme Cake for a loaf-style version with a slightly denser crumb. For savoury inspiration, the Spiced Courgette Bread uses courgette in a different direction altogether.
Courgette & Lemon Cake
Ingredients:
- 250g courgette, weighed before grating
- 2 large eggs
- 125ml vegetable oil
- 150g caster sugar
- 225g gluten-free self-raising flour ( I used Doves Farm)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- 50g royal icing sugar
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- edible flowers to decorate, optional (I used a pansy and rosemary flowers)
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 Celsius / 160 fan / 350 Fahrenheit. Grease a bundt tin well with oil (if you don’t have a bundt tin then you can use a deep 20cm diameter round cake tin).
- Remove the stalky end from the courgette and grate using the coarse side of a box grater. Don’t use anything too fine or you will reduce the courgette to mush. Press out any excess liquid if the courgette seems very wet, then leave it in a sieve over the sink while you mix together the batter.
- In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, oil and sugar until pale and slightly fluffy.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract and lemon zest and mix to combine.
- Add the grated courgette and mix to distribute.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 30 minutes, until lightly browned and firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake is cold, mix together the royal icing sugar and the lemon juice to make the icing. Transfer into a piping bag, fitted with a small round nozzle and drizzle the icing over the cake. If you don’t have an icing bag, use a small teaspoon to help you drizzle it. Add the edible flowers, if using.
- Keeps well in a cake tin or airtight container at room temperature (not the fridge) for up to 5 days.
© The Pink Rose Bakery 2015
Adapted from Flora’s Famous Courgette Cake found in Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess.
The Pink Rose Bakery 
Visiting from Cook, Blog, Share…looks amazing, pinned to try this weekend!
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Welcome! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
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Oh this is so pretty! I love the flowers 🙂 I’m never tried baking with courgette, but this makes the idea very tempting indeed!
x
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You should do it! x
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What a beautiful bundt! I love courgette cakes (don’t love the grating) and this looks just perfect. Nothing better for the soul than a slice of homemade cake and a cup of tea or coffee. Thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare
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Wow this sounds amazing
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Courgette is one of those great ‘mystery’ ingredients that do just make things better, so your success here makes sense, but hanging out so openly in a delicate lemon cake is truly marvellous. I’m definitely going to try this; our household is entirely gluten free and I only ever make my flour blends from scratch, so I’ll have to see how it turns out for me. Thanks for sharing!!
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I’ve seen lots of recipes using courgette but apart from eating some in a chocolate cake once, I haven’t used it. It is definitely something I will be using more often in baking! Let me know how you get on with your flour blend. I usually mix and match my own flours but on this occasion I was being lazy!!
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Definitely trying this one when I get home. Gnashing my teeth a bit about having to wait so long…
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The frustration will be worth it . . .
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I’m just worried I’ll forget and miss out!
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Oh . . . a reminder in your phone??
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Genius!
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🙂
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Looks so pretty and moist. Love courgette cakes. Will have to try!
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Courgette cakes are new to me but I will be using them more often now after this one! 🙂
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I have two courgette cake recipe; they’re always good. I love the decoration too. Simple and elegant.
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Thanks. Courgette will be making a regular appearance in cakes from now on, I feel. Although I will try not to put them in everything . . .
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