Vegan Courgette Loaf with Tamarind Drizzle
Courgette loaf, zucchini bread, whatever you want to call this, I am sure there is no better way to use courgettes. This cake is moist, delicious and vegan of course! It is easy to make and don’t worry, you won’t taste courgette at all! It goes perfectly with tamarind drizzle for which you can find a recipe below too.
I know that I say this all the time - my grandad has a big garden where he used to grow lots of vegetables. Which was amazing! But every year we had so many courgettes, we literally had no idea what to do with them - they would grow into giants courgettes and at that point they became a bit bitter. The thing is, I don’t like courgettes that much - I can eat the small ones raw or sometimes roasted but that’s it. So what courgette recipes to come up with? Of course, courgette loaf! I mean, what couldn’t be perfect about a cake from vegetables?
I decided to make it a bit more interesting and drizzle some icing over it. It is not your ordinary lemon drizzle (not that there is something wrong with that) but instead of lemon juice, I used tamarind paste. I know, it sounds a bit strange but it is honestly so good! Tamarind is kind of sour so it makes it perfect when mixed with icing sugar and used as drizzle. The reason why I chose this is that whenever I buy tamarind paste, I use it once and then it just sits in our fridge and I don’t know what to do with it. So I was looking for ways how to use tamarind and on food 52 I found a suggestion to turn it into a drizzle. I actually really enjoy that sour/tart/tangy taste of tamarind so I think from now on it will be a staple in our fridge.
Step by step photos how to make this moist courgette cake
Mix coarsely grated courgette with a bit of salt and set aside - it will help to get rid of an excess of water.
Mix flax seeds with 3 tbsp water and set aside until gelatinous (around 10 minutes).
Squeeze courgette to get rid of water and mix in a medium bowl with all wet ingredients - sugar, rapeseed oil, non dairy milk and flax seeds.
Into another bowl sift dry ingredients - all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, whisk and then move it into the bowl with wet ingredients.
Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, don’t overmix it though - just until everything is combined.
Move into a lined 1 lb loaf tin and bake in preheated oven 180C/160C (fan) for 50-55 mins - until it is brown on top and inserted skewer comes out clean.
Tips and tricks on how to make the best vegan loaf
Line the loaf tin. It is so much easier to get your loaf out afterwards. If you don’t want to line it (or you don’t have baking parchment, at least “butter” it - either with oil or vegan butter.
Get rid of the excess water in courgettes. - I know there are recipes that don’t call for this step but please do. Otherwise you’ll have too much moisture in the cake.
What to do when the top of the loaf is getting brown too fast in the oven? It sometimes happens but there is a simple solution to it - cover it loosely with foil.
Why do loaf cakes sink? Variety of reasons but mostly I find it happens when they are not baked enough. So don’t go just by the time but also insert a skewer to see if it is baked enough - if it comes out clean, it means it is. If not, bake it a bit longer.
Can the loaf be turned into muffins? Of course! Just adjust the time - I think around 25 mins should be good but again, try to insert the skewer and you’ll see.
For more vegan loafs and muffins be sure to check out:
Vegan Banana Loaf with Peanut Butter Frosting
If you make this courgette loaf, and take photos of it, be sure to tag me on instagram - @bigbakesmanifesto and use hashtag #bigbakesmanifesto too! I love to see people making my recipes. Or follow me on Pinterest, where you can comment and rate my recipes.
You will need a 1 lb loaf tin
Ingredients
Loaf
150 g courgette - coarsely grated
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
200 g all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
150 g sugar (light brown caster or just white caster sugar)
80 ml oil (mild flavour, I used rapeseed)
100 ml non dairy milk
Drizzle
8 tbsp icing sugar
2 tsp tamarind paste (or lemon juice)
Method
Mix grated courgette with 1/4 tsp salt and set aside (it will help you to get rid off an excess of water). Mix ground flax seeds with 6tbsp of water and let sit (at least for 10mins).
Line a 1 lb loaf tin with baking parchment and preheat the oven to 180C/160C (fan).
Sift flour, bak. powder, bak. soda, 1/2 tsp salt into a medium bowl.
Squeeze courgette properly to get rid of most of water in it and then mix it in medium bowl with sugar, oil, add non dairy milk and flax eggs, mix properly and then fold in flour mixture. Don’t overmix it.
Transfer the mixture into the lined loaf tin and bake for 50-55 minutes - until golden on top (check with a skewer, it should come out clean). Let it cool completely and if you want, make tamarind drizzle - just mix it together and pour over your loaf - if the drizzle is too thick (depends on the paste you use), just add a tiny bit of milk to make it thinner.