Vegan Courgette Chocolate Cake

A couple of weeks ago I got a courgette in my weekly veg box. I hate courgette. Brainstorming ways I could eat the courgette, you know, without actually having to eat the courgette, I remembered that courgette cake exists.  I turned to my trusty friend google, found this beautiful recipe, tweaked it a little and ended up with the beautiful dessert you see here. This is everything you ever thought chocolate cake could be – rich, creamy, moist, sweet and chocolatey. I have made 3 or 4 of these in as many weeks and I haven’t got bored of it yet. The courgette disappears into the cake when baked, as if it’s been turned into chocolate by some sort of glorious cake magic. If you’ve seen the film Matilda, this is exactly what I imagine Bruce Bogtrotter’s chocolate cake would look and taste like. It may not look elegant but no one will care.

You will need:
For the cake
250g plain flour
350g brown sugar
85g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
300ml soy milk
125ml vegetable oil
1 tsp almond extract
1 medium sized courgette, grated
For the icing
50g stork margerine, or other vegan butter alternative
4 tbsp boiling water
200g icing sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 handful of vegan white chocolate chips (optional)

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180 degrees c. Stir together all the dry ingredients for the cake – the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder.

Step 2: Mix together the wet ingredients for the cake – the milk, oil and almond extract – and combine with the dry ingredients.

Step 3: Grate the courgette into the bowl and mix well.

Step 4: Pour mixture into a cake tin, and bake at 180 degrees c for 45 minutes.

Step 5: Whilst cake is cooling, combine the ingredients for the icing. Use a knife to make 5 or 6 holes in the cake, and pour icing on top. Leave cake for an hour before serving.

The great thing about this cake is that it’s like a cake-pudding hybrid. You can leave it in the fridge to set or serve it warm and runny – it’s up to you! As a vegan at potlucks (my preferred setting for social interaction) I often feel a responsibility to vegans everywhere to prove that what we eat is just as delicious as omnivore food (*cough* if not more *cough*). The aim is to inspire crys of “I never would have guessed this was vegan – it’s so delicious!” and this cake does the trick, every time. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself!