Lemon and Courgette Cake

This cake received many compliments. It is quite a dense cake, but a great way to use up courgettes if you are a gardener or to make the most of cheap ones in the shops.

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, left to soften
3 unwaxed lemons, if you can't get unwaxed just scrub ordinary ones under running water and dry.
3 eggs
2 courgettes (approx 300g), grated
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g caster sugar
100g self-raising flour
100g plain wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
85 g icing sugar
200g full-fat soft cheese
4 tbsp lemon curd, the recipe I took this from gives the lemon curd as an option, but I think it gives a great zing.

Method - please read this recipe carefully before starting, I didn't and had to grab the cakes out of the oven to mix in the lemon juice.

Heat oven to 180 °C/ GM 4

Grease and line 2 x 20cm baking tins.
Zest 2 lemons and squeeze juice into a bowl.
Beat 200g butter, not all the butter, caster sugar ,eggs, courgettes, poppy seeds, vanilla and lemon zest to a smooth batter.
Stir in 1 tbsp of lemon juice, the flours, baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.
Divide mixture between the 2 tins.
Bake for 25 min.
Make the lemon drizzle by mixing 1 tbsp of lemon juice with 25g icing sugar.
To make the icing mix the remaining icing sugar and butter, add the soft cheese, lemon juice (approx 2 tbsp) and zest until smooth.
Cool cakes in their tins for 15 mins.
Turn out onto a wire rack, prick with a cocktail stick and pour over the drizzle.
Put one cake onto a serving plate and spread half of the icing followed by the lemon curd.  Sandwich the second cake on top and spread remaining icing and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
Serve.

Taken from BBC Good Food