This cake is so moist and tasty. Its also a great way to use up all those summer zucchini’s growing in your garden!
Preheat your oven to 180C (fan forced) and line a cake tin with baking paper. I used a square cake tin and a loaf tin. I froze one after it had cooled (yes you can freeze it with the frosting on!)
TIPS – You will need a large mixing bowl as this is too big for your thermo cooker. Please note, I didn’t clean the jug between any of the steps whilst making the cake. Just keep emptying each item into your mixing bowl, then wash out before making the icing.
NOTE – this makes a very large cake, so use two cake tins if necessary.
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Tracey and Jo
- 15m
- 40m
- 55m
- One
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 130 g walnuts
- 150 g dried pitted dates
- 1/2 tsp. bicarb
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 370 g self raising flour (I sat the bowl on top of my Thermomix to weigh flour)
- 375 g zucchini
Wet Ingredients
- 260 g brown sugar
- 100 g macadamia oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 150 g extra virgin olive oil
- 3 eggs
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 pkt cream cheese (room temp)
- 1 tbsp. orange or lemon juice
- 80 g icing sugar
- 2 tsp. orange or lemon rind
Instructions
Thermal Cooking Method
- Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a large cake tin with butter and baking paper and set aside. You also need a large mixing bowl separate to the thermo jug
- Chop walnuts for 1 sec/speed 5 (set aside in large mixing bowl)
- Chop dried pitted dates for 10 secs/speed 5 (place with walnuts in mixing bowl)
- Chop the zucchini for 5 secs/speed 4 - scrape and repeat for 2 secs/speed 4 and add to large mixing bowl
- Add bicarb, cinnamon, nutmeg and self raising flour directly to your large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon till well combined
- Your jug should be empty. Add all wet ingredients and beat all for 1 min/speed 4
- Add to your dry ingredients (in the large mixing bowl) and mix well with a wooden spoon. Pour into prepared tin
- Bake for approx 40 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean
- Leave in tin to cool slightly before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely
- To make the cream cheese frosting - place all frosting ingredients into a clean jug and mix 10 secs/speed 4 - scrape and repeat a further 20 secs
- Spread over cooled cake and serve (you can freeze this with the frosting on)
Traditional Cooking Method
- Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a large cake tin with butter and baking paper and set aside
- Chop walnuts and set aside in large mixing bowl
- Finely slice dried pitted dates and add to mixing bowl
- Grate the zucchini and add to mixing bowl
- Add bicarb, cinnamon, nutmeg and self raising flour directly to your large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon till well combined
- Next, in a blender, add all wet ingredients and mix for 1 min/medium speed, then pour into your dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon. Pour into prepared cake tin
- Bake for approx 40 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean
- Leave in tin to cool slightly before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely
- To make the cream cheese frosting - place all frosting ingredients into a clean food processor, or mix master. On a medium speed, blend till nice and creamy
- Spread over cooled cake and serve (you can freeze this with the frosting on)
This was so easy to make and so yummy, even Mr 3 and Mr 6 loved it.