Kids Can Make ... Zucchini Cake

Gingerbread for wimps.

Zucchini bread with zing.

Kids can make ... zucchini cake. 

Hmm ... that might work. I like the poetic feel of it, anyway. Maybe I should write the whole post in rhyme? Uh ... no. What am I thinking? I'm obviously not spending enough adult-to-adult time. 

Anyway, this is a lovely muffin / cake recipe that includes *veggies* and tastes a touch like gingerbread. Perfect for Christmastime!

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Kids Can Make ... Zucchini Cake

makes 2 medium cakes or lots of muffins

The time

10 min prep + 40 min baking + cooling

The ingredients

2 organic eggs, beaten

2 c milk

1/2 c olive oil

3 Tbs molasses

1/2 c rapadura sugar

3 Tbs fresh ginger, grated

3 med zucchini, grated

1/2 tsp nutmeg (ground)

1/2 tsp clove (ground)

1 tsp cinnamon (more if you like)

2 c wholemeal flour

2 c unbleached plain flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

*As always, use organic ingredients when you can, particularly the eggs - then you can be sure the hens were happy. 

**Don't be scared by the number of ingredients here - wait till you see how we just lump them all together and stir ...

The process

1. You preheat the oven to 160C (350F) while your kids mix the eggs, milk, oil, molasses, sugar and ginger together in a large mixing bowl. Then add the grated zucchini and mix.

2. You oil a couple of small cake tins (or line them with baking paper) while your kids measure out the spices, flours, baking soda and powder and salt into the same mixing bowl where all the liquid ingredients are. Stir, just until combined.

NOTE: You may have to police this part a bit ... we don't want the batter overmixed, or it won't rise up so nicely. Just stir to combine thoroughly.

3. Pour the batter into the cake tins - half into each if you can. Put in the oven and bake for 30-40 min, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. How long you bake will depend on how shallow your cake tins are, so start pricking them when the top starts to look solid.

4. When they're done, take the cakes out of the oven and let them cool on your benchtop for a few minutes. Then take the cakes out of the tins and finish cooling them on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or ...

5. Serve with butter or ice cream or whipped cream or lemon curd. 

And if you serve them with butter, try to use a gorgeous wooden butter pat you got at the thrift store. Yep - it's dish of the day time! But first, let me tell you how much this costs.

The cost

You get 2 cakes here. I put one into the freezer and the other got used up for morning teas / Nelle's lunchbox / dessert over the week. Each cake cost me about $5 to make - and was 100% organic. I did manage to use marked down organic milk and marked down organic zucchini, so I felt pretty thrifty!

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Dish of the Day

I walked into a thrift store the other day, and found so many gems that the little old ladies in there were running out to me with more items - yet to be priced and shelved. I felt a bit like a superstar! (It was great.) And this lovely wooden butter pat was one of the items I bought. For $4. 

And check out my little photographer! 

Have a lovely, lovely week!

Amanda xx