Nigella Courgette Cake

If you love lemon or courgette cakes (the kind you might bake from a Mary Berry recipe), this Nigella-style courgette and lime cake gives you the same zesty, moist crumb with a garden twist.

Step 1 – Heat the oven and prep the raisins

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). If you’re using raisins, put them in a small bowl and cover with warm water to plump them up while you make the batter.

Step 2 – Grate and drain the courgettes

Wipe the courgettes and grate them with the skins on, using the coarse side of a box grater. You want visible strands, not a fine mush. Tip the grated courgette into a sieve over the sink and leave to drain off any excess liquid.

Step 3 – Make the cake batter

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and sugar until creamy and slightly thickened. Sieve in the self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder, then fold until combined. Gently stir in the drained courgette and well-drained raisins.

Step 4 – Bake the sponges

Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins. Smooth the tops and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and springy to the touch. Leave the cakes in their tins on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before filling and icing.

Step 5 – Make the lime curd

If you’d rather not make curd, you can absolutely use a good shop-bought lime or lemon curd and freshen it with extra lime juice.

To make it from scratch, melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Add the eggs, sugar, lime juice and zest, then whisk gently until the mixture thickens into a smooth custard. Take your time and keep the heat low so it doesn’t scramble. Once thickened, remove from the heat and leave to cool completely before using. Store any extra in a jar in the fridge.

Step 6 – Make the lime cream-cheese icing

In a clean bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Sieve in the icing sugar and beat again until thick and glossy. Add lime juice to taste – you want a balance of tangy and sweet. If the icing feels very soft, chill it in the fridge to firm up before spreading.

Step 7 – Assemble the cake

Place one sponge on a serving plate. Spread a generous layer of completely cooled lime curd over the top. Sit the second sponge on top, then spoon over the cream-cheese icing and spread it in soft swirls. Finish with chopped pistachios or a scatter of edible flowers. Chill briefly to set the icing if needed, then slice and serve.

Ingredients for the cake

Serves 8.

• 250g courgette, grated
• 60g raisins, soaked
• 2 large eggs
• 125ml vegetable oil
• 150g caster sugar
• 225g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 x 21cm sandwich tins, greased and lined

Ingredients for the lime curd

• 75g butter
• 3 large eggs
• 75g caster sugar
• 125ml lime juice
• Zest of 1 lime

Ingredients for the icing

• 100g icing sugar
• 250g cream cheese
• Juice of 1 lime
• Handful of pistachios (or edible flowers) to decorate

Part of the joy of this recipe is using courgettes you’ve grown yourself. Courgette plants are generous, fast-growing and perfect for beginners.

• Sow courgette seeds indoors in spring, then plant out after the last frost.
• Grow in large pots or a sunny bed with rich, well-watered soil.
• Pick courgettes when they’re small and glossy for the best flavour – any extras can go straight into cake.