I’ve jumped into zucchini season with both feet and this cake is one of the best things I’ve made so far! I love bundt cakes because they are so much easier than a layer cake but so much prettier than a sheet cake. Don’t you agree? I had never thought about combining zucchini with lime or pistachio, but once I saw the combination I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I had to give it a try, and I loved it. It was such a unique – but delicious -combination. The pistachios are ground into pistachio meal giving the cake a wonderful, nutty and rich flavor. The cake itself is not overly sweet, so don’t skip the powdered sugar-lime glaze! The lime really brightens the flavor, which is perfect for summer baking. The chopped pistachios on top of the glaze provide even more rich, nutty flavor and a nice crunch. And the zucchini?? Oh yeah…there’s zucchini in there too, but you really don’t taste it at all! It just keeps the cake nice and moist. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! Enjoy!
Zucchini Lime Pistachio Cake
for the cake:
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 medium zucchinis, grated (~9.5-10 oz)
zest of 1 lime
for the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp coarsely chopped pistachios
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick spray.
2. Pulse pistachios in food processor until coarsely ground (about like almond meal or coarse cornmeal).
3. In large bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and zest. Add in flour and baking soda and mix until combined. Stir in the zucchini and pistachios.
4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely.
5. For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, lime zest, and juice – one tablespoon at a time – until you reach a smooth and pourable consistency. (Depending on how juicy your lime is, you may not need all the juice or you may need to add a tablespoon of milk in order to reach a pourable consistency.) Pour over slightly warm cake. Top with chopped pistachios.
*loosely adapted from Good Housekeeping UK
