Courgette, lemon and poppy seed cake with cheesecake frosting

This cake evolved over time from a muffin recipe. The cream cheese icing is a favourite — pipe it on if you fancy making it a little pretty! The cake will keep for 1-3 days in the fridge but take it out for around 15 minutes before you want to cut and eat it.

Preparation: 10-15 minutes Baking: 25-30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

400g grated courgette 300g caster sugar 2 medium eggs 250 ml vegetable oil 400g plain flour sifted 1 tsp salt 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp baking powder 2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp poppy seeds Zest from 1 lemon

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

110g unsalted butter softened

225g full fat cream cheese 360g icing sugar sifted

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

METHOD

Preheat oven 160°C/140°C fan and grease and line two 20cm round cake tins.

Grate the courgette and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

In a large bowl mix the courgette, sugar, oil and eggs.

In another bowl mix the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, poppy seeds and lemon zest.

Fold the dry mixture into the courgette mixture and divide the batter equally between the two tins.

Smooth the surface of each batter with the back of a spoon.

Bake for around 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cool in the tin and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

To make the cream cheese frosting: in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment whisk together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the icing sugar a little at a time to avoid clouds going all over the kitchen!

Add the vanilla bean paste, then speed up the mixer and whisk for a minute or two.

Take one cake and spoon half the frosting over the top and level with a spatula or knife. Place the other cake on top and then either spread as much of the rest of the icing as you want over, or put it into a piping bag and pipe it on.

Sprinkle a little lemon zest over the top and refrigerate the cake on a pretty plate or stand.