Name: Spicy Cake with Vegetable/Fruit and Nuts - Core Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Ingredients: 70g nuts plus optional extra for decoration; 180g prepared vegetables/fruit; 140g sunflower or vegetable oil; 80g natural yoghurt; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoons vanilla extract; 150g whole wheat or plain/all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of /baking soda; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 2 - 3 teaspoons spice powder(s); ½ teaspoon fine salt; 140g light muscovado or light brown sugar; 40g desiccated coconut

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This is definitely one of my favourite Core Recipes! Moist and bursting with flavours from spices, vegetables or fruit, nuts, coconut and vanilla, this foolproof recipe can be eaten as a cake, as cupcakes, as is or enhanced with a deliciously, smooth and creamy frosting.

Many vegetables and fruit can be used in these cakes:

carrots
pumpkin
butternut squash
courgette/zucchini
beetroot
apples
pears
banana
pineapple

This cake is a wonderful way of using up leftover vegetables and fruit from the bottom of your fridge!

Equally, there are lots of different spices which you can add:

cinnamon
cardamom
chai spice
nutmeg
ginger
mixed spice
pumpkin/Autumn
Christmas

Furthermore, you can swap the nuts you use. My favourites are:

pecan nuts
walnuts
almonds
pistachio nuts
cashews
peanuts

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Recipes I plan to post:

Apple Cake with Coconut and Pecans, Apple Butter and Cinnamon
Courgette and Pistachio Cake with Oats, Coconut, Lemon and Cardamom
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Chocolate Courgette Cake with Cashews and Chocolate Chunks
Apple, Date and Ginger Cake with Walnuts
Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice, Nutmeg and Raisins
Pear and Ginger Cake with Almonds
Beetroot and Chocolate Cake with Cinnamon
Chocolate Cake with Swede and Peanuts
Hummingbird Cake

The cake batter is not overly sweet so I often make both a cake and also bake some of the mixture into muffin cases which are fabulous for breakfast or a mid-morning snack. Adding the Cream Cheese Frosting adds a silky, smooth, creamy layer and you end up with a richer and sweeter cake ideal for afternoon tea, dessert or a special treat.

**Cinnamon Apple and Almond Cupcakes with Brown Butter Ricotta Frosting**

Please do not be put off by the length of this post – it really is very easy. I have just given a lot of very specific guidance.

How to make Spicy Vegetable/Fruit with Nuts – Core Recipe

First, collect all your ingredients for the cake together:

For the vegetable/fruit and nut mix:

nuts, plus a few extra to decorate the cake if desired
chosen fruit or vegetables

Wet ingredients:

sunflower or vegetable oil
natural yoghurt
eggs
vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:

whole wheat or plain/all-purpose flour
bicarbonate of /baking soda
baking powder
spice powder
fine salt
light muscovado, light brown sugar, dark brown or caster sugar
desiccated coconut, oats or a mix of the two (optional)

Softening Brown Sugar:

Have you ever gone into your kitchen cupboard for brown or muscovado sugar to find it is rock solid? There is a really simple solution to this, and it doesn’t involve a hammer and chisel! See here.

Now on to making the cake:

The pictures here show cake quantities for 3 layers, each baked in 20 cm/8 inch round cake tins. Alternative quantities are also given in the Recipe Notes. Please allow the 1 egg quantity per 18cm/7 inch layer or it will make 7 – 8 cupcakes. The pictures were taken when making a Carrot Cake with Coconut and Pecans and a Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Make the cake:

Pop the nuts in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. (NB you will not need to do this if using ground almonds.) Whilst they are cooking, collect together all your ingredients.

When the nuts are cooked:

remove any nuts you need for decoration and either:
if you would like some chunks of nuts in the cake, place 2/3 of the rest of the nuts in the food processor and blitz until the they are the texture of ground almonds, OR
if you do not want any chunks of nuts in the cake, place all of the rest of the nuts in the food processor and blitz until the they are the texture of ground almonds
now add the vegetables or fruit to the nuts and blitz until broken down.

Add the wet ingredients – the oil, yoghurt, eggs and vanilla and blitz until thoroughly mixed.

Add the dry ingredients – the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, spices, salt, sugar and coconut and/or oats. Pulse until nearly mixed in and then add the remaining nuts. Pulse briefly to mix in and slightly chop. Alternatively, fold into the batter by hand.

Transfer equally into lined and greased baking tins. The batter in each cake tin should weigh around 590g. Cook in the centre of the oven. When cooked leave in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Frost the cakes

When the cakes are cold, you can ice them with a delicious Cream Cheese Frosting.

Single layer, double layer, triple layer or cupcakes/muffins?

This cake freezes extremely well so I always make this 4 egg version which makes 3 x 20cm/8 inch layers. I freeze one or two layers of the cake as well as the extra frosting for future use. I freeze the cake and the frosting separately and then assemble the cake when it has defrosted. Feeding a crowd? Then make a triple layered cake.

Equally the cupcakes/muffins freeze really well. If you are making a cake using 2 eggs, why not increase it to 3 or 4 eggs and make a few muffins or cupcakes as well?

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.

Spicy Cake with Vegetable/Fruit and Nuts – Core Recipe

Moist and bursting with flavours from spices, vegetables or fruit, nuts, coconut and vanilla, this foolproof cake can be eaten as is or enhanced with a deliciously, smooth and creamy Cream Cheese Frosting.

Course afternoon tea, Cake, Dessert, Morning Coffee, Snack, treat

Keyword cake, cashew nuts, roast vegetables, spicy

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Author Susan