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making chocolate courgette cake

If you’ve still got whopping great marrows knocking around (they store for weeks afterall so it’s quite possible) then reach for your grater and make a simple, delicious chocolate courgette cake.  Super easy, moist and tasty this is a great recipe for making do with what you have in the cupboard as it uses oil instead of butter and cocoa powder instead of chocolate (although on this baking day I found G’s dark chocolate in the cupboard and the cocoa powder pot empty).  It works just as well for making cupcakes (made another day when cocoa powder supplies had been replenished).16-8-13 - chocolate courgette cake_slice 4B

I was so sure I’d already posted this recipe but it seems I imagined that.  E’s hair, or rather the lack of it, is the measure of the passing of time since taking the photos with the intention to share it!  Woops, well over a year ago I’d say.
Collage - Chocolate Courgette cake 4BTo make Chocolate Courgette cake

350g self-raising flour
50g cocoa powder (I used 100g dark chocolate in this cake)
1tsp mixed spice
175ml olive oil
375g sugar
1tsp salt
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
500ml grated courgette
140g toasted hazelnuts roughly chopped

      • mix flour, spice, salt, cocoa powder
      • mix oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, grated courgette
      • combine the dry and wet mixtures and fold in chopped hazelnuts
      • line a 24cm cake tin and pour the mixture in (or spoon into cup cake cases)
      • bake for 40-50 minutes (reduce to 25 mins for cup cakes) before turning out
      • place 2 squares of dark chocolate on top of the warm cake and move around the cake with the back of the spoon to create a thin melted topping.
      • Alternatively cool for 10 mins and see original BBC Good Food recipe for making a gooey chocolate frosting topping

I sandwiched my cake with butter cream and jam and decorated with blueberries.  Who knew melting chocolate squares on top of a fresh-from-the-oven cake could be so satisfying?  My topping was a bit meagre (I only saved 2 squares for it) but once it hardened properly a few hours later it created a lovely thin crispy topping (very satisfying to cut into!)
16-8-13 - chocolate courgette cake 4B
The inspiration for the melted chocolate topping came from Conner Middelmann-Whitney’s video post for Chocolate Beetroot cake (fast forward to 6 minutes if you just want to see the icing stage).  It’s next on my list of recipes to try as unlike this recipe it’s packed with nutrients, gluten-free, dairy free and sweetened only with a smidgen of acacia honey. Conner is the author of Zest for Life: The Mediterranean Anti-Cancer Diet and her YouTube channel is well worth checking out for other video recipes.

First published in 2014.  If you like this recipe you may also be interested in Making beetroot and chocolate cupcakes

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1 comment

  • johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe
    November 5, 2014

    the cake looks lovely – melting chocolate on top of a hot cake sounds like fun to me – never done it but I would love to – and would love a slice of your cake

    Reply

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Instagram post 2194489444842056854_5380256260 We're giving our stamp money to CLIC Sargent this year instead of sending Christmas cards.  If you're seeing this post it means we love you and wish you well for a healthy and happy time with your loved ones.  Let's catch up in 2020 💕
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(gorgeous Christmas card made by Luca @stcatharinesunder5s .  If you're looking for a playgroup place in Gloucester for a 2.5-4 year old St Cats is ace and Luca will be there to play with until July).
Instagram post 2193014269789308381_5380256260 We had some sad news today and it would have been easy to hide under the duvet and press pause on the day.  Parenting through grief last year when we lost Mum taught me that whatever happens the world still turns, night comes after day and children will still want their snacks! .
Luca and I walked home from playgroup in the rain this afternoon with this bounty of Christmas crafting.  The children @stcatharinesunder5s have been secretly making Christmas tree decorations, cards and stockings and today held a Christmas market for parents to buy them all.  Luca has scoffed most of the edible stuff but is doing an amazing job of waiting for Euan to get home to help pull his cracker.  Our favourite creation is the reindeer glitter jar (see stories) .  Such a simple idea using recycled glass jars.
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Instagram post 2189405971454295179_5380256260 The day the @thebookpeople brochure dropped through the door the boys started their Christmas wish lists with a cut out of a toy each.  Tomorrow we're posting their lists off to Santa.  My house would be filled to the rafters with cars if Luca had his way! .
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Instagram post 2186595242791615964_5380256260 What are you doing this time next week?  I'll be hosting a virtual shopping event to tie in with Weleda's real Christmas event in Derbyshire.  This is the first time wellbeing advisors across the country are intentionally holding events on the same day.  I also have a wellbeing session in the evening for a lovely raffle prize winner and her daughter's to experience the bliss of some Weleda down time.
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There will be a special offer on the 4th that even I don't know about yet.  All this in addition to the 3 for 2 on Christmas gifts and the 15% off 3 different facial care products. .
Order from the comfort of your sofa with no parking fees, rain to dodge, tired feet or queues for delivery anywhere in the UK (so you don't even have to get to the post office!). I'll share the virtual link a few days before but in the meantime if you'd like to browse the brochure or gift guide comment below and I'll get it to you x
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Instagram post 2178004094678374919_5380256260 This makes me want to take up wood carving!  I love this.  It reminds me of my "hide" inner voice that's often accompanied by a physical urge to tug my jumper up over my head to hide my face!  I'm 44 years old so that doesn't actually happen but it's funny how frightened little Nic, who wouldn't have said boo to a goose, can be quite determined in trying to steer my course still.  I've recently come across a technique called Havening which uses light touch strokes to help discharge the emotional pain attached to distressing thoughts and memories.  It's impact is remarkable for aiding the healing of trauma.  I'm lucky enough to have a friend who is a Havening  practitioner and just one session has transformed some of the social anxiety that's held me back most of my life.  It's so freeing not second guessing every outcome of every conversation and not finding a reason to blame myself for what is actually 'others people's stuff'. I also seem to be less concerned about what other people think and more comfortable with expressing what I need which has been a long time coming! .
Image reposted from @schoolofbodywork
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❣️Young or old, loneliness doesn't discriminate.❣️The odds ratio (statistic) of early death from loneliness is 48% (a bigger killer than diabetes & smoking). ❣️Touch is fundamentally important for human wellbeing. ❣️Positive touch changes our stress response, it releases neurochemicals; endorphins and hormones including oxytocin which plays a crucial role in creating bonds between people -  developing trust, reducing anxiety and forming strong functional attachments. ❣️Simply put nurturing touch is a crucial element of our emotional wellbeing. ❣️Small gestures have big impact. - #regrann .
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- @idunspirit, our local mind, body, spirit shop have this amazing tumble stones calendar which I've bought for Euan.  24 stones for £30 (swipe right to see just how brilliant this is) + free postage (I think the festive cheer has gone to their head!). .
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- @hollandandbarrett have this organic tea calendar with 24 different cuppas for £4.99.  I'm looking forward to trying and sharing these through December (as I can see a whole bunch I don't much fancy the sound of!) .
(Side note: I used to hate the idea of calendars for the expense/waste/expectation of chocolate each day but since buying Lego and Play Mobil calendars the last few years I've changed my tune.  The boys get so much enjoyment from them and not just through December but for months after.  It also seems to help them wait out Christmas day with minimal moaning.  Advent calendars can seem expensive but when you find the right one it's the cost of a Lego set! 
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There's a little thing called "your comfort zone" that it's good to stretch every now and again.  I used to think it was a safe, cosy, quiet place to hang out but lately it's become an uneasy, noisy, prickly place I'd prefer to escape!  The problem is it's scary stepping out.  Even if all the wise souls you know swear you'll like it on the other side it's hard stepping over that precipice.  What if ...? Will they ...? How will I ..?. All the questions and a ton of fearful answers stop me dead in my tracks.
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Becoming a Weleda Wellbeing Advisor has been the biggest stretch of my comfort zone.  I'm an introvert, live with anxiety and don't like the spot light on me.  I love doing 1:1s, am learning to be ok with small events but big groups/the unknown still bring up a primal fear/run away response in me.  I've discovered recently that managing anxiety around wellbeing events is greatly diminished when I do them in my own home.  So I had the great idea of hosting a Christmas wellbeing/shopping event. Easy right?  Well no, it took me 3 days to hit send on the invite.  Some people would worry about no one turning up.  I worry that loads of people will.  Strangely now I have put it out there I don't feel so anxious.  It's so true that the fearful thoughts in our head are rarely as bad as what we actually experience!  Thank goodness for @melrobbins "5 second rule" and the wisdom of @brenebrown to recognise vulnerability and daring greatly are allies and the only way to learning and growth is wading right through the fear zone. .
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Instagram post 2166354850452207487_5380256260 It's decade since I foraged cobnuts to try out Pam Corbin's Honeyed Hazelnuts recipe.  Dave our allotment angel gave us some cobnuts from the allotment this year but I just crack and eat them almost without thinking about it.  It's said there's as much protein in 6 cobnuts as there is in a 4oz sirloin steak so it's probably just as well I'm not downing that with a load of sugar!  If you'd like to know how to make honey Hazelnuts (they'd make lovely edible Christmas gifts - see the link in my bio for the blog post).
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Instagram post 2158900545745903726_5380256260 #new blog post (link in bio)
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"Let's try it!"
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Instagram post 2158133896172294039_5380256260 Off to playgroup for a super heroes party with Iron Man and ???
Instagram post 2153887339281457319_5380256260 It's 10 years since I've made marrow cream but that's what I'm doing today with the giant  marrows from this year's allotment harvest.  Iron Man Jnr may have been impressed with how big this one was but at 2lb of flesh it's titch compared to our 18lb marrow (9lb in flesh) from  2009! .
See blog link for recipe (marrow, sugar, butter and lemons) and "how to" 🥒🍋
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#growyourown #allotmentproduce #monstermarrows #marrowcream #preservemaking  #gloucesterlife
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