Courgette Walnut Cardamom Cakes
These little cakes are a healthy twist to the classic ones. By using courgettes, the cakes not only turn out moist, it also makes you use less butter & sugar. Two advantages in one! And by using walnuts & nut-butter, you eat some good fats that your body needs (omega 3). Of course it still is cake, so guys, don’t think your ‘good on track’ while eating your 6’th one because there are healthy…
I made these with a “beurre noisette” instead of normal soft butter. This nutty flavor works perfectly with the cardamom. While making a beurre noisette you need to keep your eyes on the pan. In one second your brown butter can turn into dark brown butter with black burned pieces.
Ready for the oven
Ingredients :
250 g unsalted butter
300 g sugar
3 eggs (at room temperature)
250 g self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate
1 courgette (aka zucchini)
+/- 80 g walnuts (or 15 whole halves and a handful crushed for extra)
15 teaspoons of almond butter*
1 teaspoon of cardamom
good pinch of salt
*You can use any kind of nut-butter. Choose the one you prefer.
Extra materials: grater, kenwood, scale, formes: i used silicone ‘canelé’ formes but you can use any kind you like.
Directions:
Start with the “beurre noisette” so it gets time to cool down by the time you need it. Melt your butter in a sauce-pan with a thick bottom on a medium heat. When the butter has melted completely, it will start to foam and starts getting brown. You’ll need to keep a close eye on it to prevent it from burning: watch for lightly browned specks forming on the bottom of the pan. At this point the butter also gets a nutty aroma. It means your “beurre noisette” is ready. Turn off the heat to make sure it doesn’t burn (and starts to look black).
Weight all you dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
Grape your courgette with a grater and set aside.
Combine the sugar and cooled beurre noisette in the kenwood with the K-hook and mix till combined for about 5 minutes.
Add your eggs on room temperature one by one.
Mix in your dry ingredients (start with a few spoons and gradually add the rest).
Add your graded courgette.
Take a good handful of walnuts and chop them roughly. Add these to your batter.
Poor your batter into a measure jug (this makes it easy to poor into your formes).
Poor your batter into the formes and make sure you leave at least 2 cm from the surface because they will rise in the oven.
Take a half walnut and push them in the center of the batter. Repeat this for each form.
Take 1/2 teaspoon of nut-butter and push this (so on top of the walnuts) into the batter. Repeat this for each form.
Place them in a preheated oven of 180°C for 15-20 min.
After 5 minutes, take them out of the form and let them cool down on a cooling rank.
Nina Beckers
