One evening I found myself with 2 zucchinis starting to look sad in my fridge. I’d bought a bag of them earlier in the week and suddenly found myself wondering how else could I possibly use up these last two? I’d run out of creative ways to sneak them into our dinner menu, and while my son did eat it (mostly…), I don’t think he’d be too happy to see them on his next dinner plate. So off I went to Google for a different kind of recipe that used zucchinis, one that I knew he’d be excited to try.
I’d heard of zucchinis being used in cakes so thought I’d run with that (afterall, I’m a baker), surely this is doable and my son would eat it – right? I Googled for “chocolate zucchini cake recipe” and off I went rummaging through the results.
As I’m sure many of you know, it can be quite overwhelming looking through stacks of results, and I usually narrow my options down based on reviews. On this occasion though, I decided to go with a website that I was familiar with – Sally’s Baking Addiction. I use her Salted Caramel Sauce recipe all the time (and it’s sooooo gooood!). So I felt confident that her Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipe should also be good.
I split the batter across 2x 7″ tins and cooked with cake wraps at 150 degrees Celsius. I loved how each cake baked flat on top – no torting required!
On this occasion I decided to pair it with chocolate cream cheese frosting – only because I just happened to have a block of cream cheese sitting in my fridge that I thought could help cut through the sweetness. I have to say, on that note, mission failed haha The richness of the cake paired with the richness of the frosting was quite overwhelming. Even a small teeny piece needed a cuppa to help wash it down. Next time, if I needed to pair it with something, I would opt for something less rich and less sweet, like some simple Chantilly cream or vanilla meringue buttercream.
Overall it’s a moist, delicious chocolate cake and a wonderful way to use up and sneak in some zucchini. If you wanted to tone the chocolate sweetness down a tad, you could even reduce or omit the chocolate chips (I did enjoy the extra texture having them in there though – so perhaps could sub with some chopped nuts instead). I would definitely recommend giving this recipe a try – I know I’ll be revisiting it again 🙂
Sitting in my fruit bowl sat two rejected Pink Lady apples – sad to not have made it into our week of fruit intake. “Fear not”, I thought as I held them in my hands, “for I am a skilled baker and will find a delicious way to bring new life to your existence!”
I started Googling for a cinnamon apple cake recipe. I have made a gluten free French apple cake before for a work morning tea (which was absolutely sublime), but I really felt like something a bit more cinnamony (totally a word…).
Short on time, I went with the recipe that had high review rating, but also boasted being the BEST – right there in the title. So I loaded up the Sweetest Menu’s recipe for The BEST Cinnamon Apple Cake, feeling confidence that I would be eating a scrummy cinnamon apple cake in no time.
Scrolling through the ingredients, I pulled out everything onto the bench one-by-one – except when I got to the last ingredient. Ah crap – I didn’t have Greek yoghurt. No matter – I pulled out some buttermilk (to help bring in the acid required), and ricotta to help thicken it to more of a yoghurt consistency. That’ll do – I want this cake!
I didn’t know how it was going to go, but after baking for about an hour, my house was seriously smelling amazing! Apples and cinnamon filled the air as I took it out of the oven. I lightly tapped the top and was delighted that the Cinnamon Topping provided a caramelised crunch topping. I was salivating.
It tested my patience having to wait for it to cool. I think I lasted all of about 30 minutes before I caved – one small piece… The top crunched as the knife cut downwards, making way for the super-soft cake interior, with slight pressure at the points where I cut through the apple pieces within.
As I took that first bite – I realised that this cake was something very special that I would be remaking in the future. I love cinnamon apple desserts – my Dad (being Austrian), often baked apple strudels from scratch. It was a staple in our culture. This cake hit all the right notes with the cinnamon and apple. Sure, it doesn’t offer the flaky pastry – but for those short on time, this is a wonderful substitute to use up some apples. And it’s got fruit it in – so how bad can it be? 😉
You may notice that I did not add the extra icing sugar glaze. This was purposeful. I don’t think it really needs it (I thought it was sweet enough), but if you wanted to jazz it up a bit, some drizzled over the top would definitely do the trick.
Cinnamon Apple and Ricotta Cake
A remake of the BEST Cinnamon Apple Cake recipe found on the Sweetest Menu website.
Preheat the oven to 150°C (fan-forced). If using cake wrap, get that soaking. Grease and line an 8" cake tin.
Peel and roughly chop 2 Pink Lady apples. Toss in cinnamon to coat. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the sifted dry ingredients – plain flour, baking soda and sugar. Add in the cinnamon apple pieces and gently toss in the dry ingredients mix.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients – eggs, vanilla extract, oil, buttermilk and ricotta.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until combined. Pour into prepared cake tin and set aside to make the Cinnamon Topping.
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon, Mix well, and then sprinkle over the top of the cake batter.
Place the cake wrap around the cake tin, and bake in preheated over for approximately 1 hour. Use a wooden skewer to check for doneness in centre of cake (you should not see any wet cake batter).
When cooked, remove from oven and set aside to rest in the cake tin for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool.
There are so many very talented cakes makers out there in the world, and I thought I might write a blog post sharing some of the amazing local Australian cake artists that inspire me. I then realised there’s possibly too many of them to fit onto the one blog post, so I will instead start a series of inspirational cake artists based on themes. In this post, I will share five of my favourite 3D Novelty Cake Artists (in no particular order, and definitely does not contain all of the amazing 3D novelty cake artists that inspire me, I just know that I have to draw the line somewhere 🙂 ).
1. Verusca Walker
I had seen her name come up in Facebook groups but admit I did not really start following her work until I saw her present a demo at a Cake Open Day in Canberra. During the demo she showed us how to create a cake that looked like a hat on a hat stand. You know when someone is a skilled SME (Subject Matter Expert) when they can present something so effortlessly like it’s just a walk in the park (but I know in my heart that I would be in struggle-town if I attempted something quite that complicated lol).
If you were looking to have a go at recreating some of her elaborate cake creations, Verusca has written the book Structured Cakes that explains the ins and outs of creating structures in order to create some of these wonderful cake creations. You can buy an E-Book version (AU$49.50) or printed version (AU$60 + P&H). She also shares some FREE tutorials via her YouTube channel.
2. ButterSweet Lane Cakes
Margarita popped onto the scene in late 2017 and her 3D novelty cake creations are absolutely amazing! I am always blown away whenever I see one of her creations come up on my Facebook feed as they are always so fun and well executed.
As you can see above from her 2019 Top 9 on Insta, she creates a variety of sweet treats, from cupcakes, through to buttercream cakes and onto 3D novelty cakes – she really is a Jack of All Trades and a true master of them all! If you were looking to order a cake from her, she operates in the Kellyville Ridge area in Sydney. She also occasionally runs cake classes as well, so stay tuned to her website if you were wanting to learn from her.
3. Cherry On Top Cakes
I remember my first interactions with Ashini through a Facebook cake group, simply put, she is just such a lovely person 🙂 I’ve also been following her caking journey, and have witnessed her creations come in leaps and bounds in such a short timeframe – it has been a joy and inspiration to watch. I think she really hit the spotlight when she created the firefighter cake (below) – a monumental cake capturing the essence of the devastating bushfires that hit Australia during the 2019 summer.
If you were in the Wodonga area in Victoria and want to get a one-of-a-kind cake masterpiece, look no further than Ashini @ Cherry On Top Cakes. You won’t be disappointed!
4. Inspired Cakes – by Amy
Amy shot onto the caking scene less than a handful of years ago and took the Australian caking world by storm – and it’s not hard to see why! Her handcrafted 3D cakes are simply works of art that are flawlessly executed. I think it takes a lot talent to be able to pull off even simple anti-gravity cakes, but she takes it to a whole new level by sculpting even complex shapes to perfection.
She’s taken home a multitude of awards in the cake industry and continues to inspire swathes of people. You’ll see her partaking in all kinds of cake shows around Australia, and continues to take custom cake orders, so if you’re in the Bowral, NSW area and looking for a mind-blowing cake, then Amy is your gal!
For those cake makers feeling inspired to learn from her, you can find online tutorials on her website starting from AU$29.95. She also offers workshops for those in the area that wants a more in-person lesson.
5. A Little Nonsense Cakes
I first saw Dale’s creations from within a Facebook cake group I’m in, and wowee her stuff blows me away! Every one of her cake creations are simply immaculate – perfectly sharp edges, airbrushed shading on point, and I simply love how she incorporates lights in her cakes for the added extra WOW factor! Seriously, you wouldn’t even know some of her creations were cakes!
If you head to her website’s gallery of celebration cakes, you’ll see for yourself why I am raving about her work and it will prove to you just how crazy-talented this lady is! If you live in the Kelmscott area in WA, and were looking for a cake with massive WOW factor, don’t look past Dale @ A Little Nonsense Cakes.
BONUS: Elegant Slice
OK so I thought I had better include at least one option for a 3D Novelty Cake Artist from the Canberra region in this post – so BONUS ROUND! There are a number of super talented cake makers in the area, but of the ones that I follow, Elegant Slice takes my vote as most inspirational for me – possibly because he nails square cakes to perfection. It’s seriously cake p0rn…
He has also done a number of car cakes that are just stunning (something I have not been brave enough to try as yet – I admit, it feels daunting to me!)
He is a qualified pastry chef of 30 years and has worked in a number of establishments in Europe as well as Australia. If you are local to Canberra, you’ll find Elegant Slice based in the suburb of McKellar (although he also does offer delivery – just sayin’ 😉 ).