Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Marrow Cake


  • Author: Michelle Minnaar
  • Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield: 10 slices 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This marrow cake is topped with lime icing to give a refreshing taste to cool you down in summer. It's easy to prepare and vegetarian.


Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Cake

  • 350g (12oz) marrow, coarsely grated
  • 2 large eggs
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
  • 85g (1/3 cup) soft brown sugar
  • 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla paste
  • 300g (1 3/4 cups & 2 tbsp) plain flour
  • 5g (2 tsp) ground cinnamon
  • 1g (1/4 tsp) nutmeg
  • 2.5g (1/2 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
  • 2.5g (1/2 tsp) baking powder
  • 85g (2/3 cup) walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 140g (1 cup) dates, chopped

For The Lime Icing

  • 150g (2/3 cup) mascarpone cheese
  • 150g (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar
  • 1 lime juice only

To decorate

  • lime zest

Instructions

  1. For the Cake: Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment. 
  2. Lightly squeeze the gratings in a clean tea towel to remove a little of the moisture. Don’t wring it out too much or the cake will become too dry. 
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and sugar and vanilla. Set aside.
  4. In another large bowl, combine the marrow, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, walnuts, dates and a pinch of salt. Ensure that the ingredients are evenly dispersed. 
  5. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then pour into the tin. 
  6. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. (The cake ended up baking for 1 hour 25 minutes before it was fully cooked in my oven, so keep checking and testing because everyone’s oven is different!)
  7. Leave to cool, then serve, or freeze for up to 1 month.
  8. For the Icing: Combine the mascarpone with sieved icing sugar and lime juice. Chill in the fridge until the cake is totally cold.
  9. Slather the icing over the top of the cake and sprinkle on more lime zest if desired.

Notes

  • This cake is best frozen without being topped by icing. Once thawed you can add the icing. 
  • If you have no walnuts at hand, you can use hazelnuts, pistachios, brazil nuts, pecans or even granola!
  • You can substitute the marrow with courgette/zucchini. Best of all, you don’t need to peel the vegetable, so there is added goodness.
  • You can omit the dates, but the cake won’t be as sweet. Prunes, dried apricots or dried cranberries are other alternatives. 
  • If you prefer your cake on the sweeter side, you can up the sugar to 150g (⅔ cup). With the addition of dates, the cake becomes pretty sweet though!
  • For something a little decadent, add a handful of dark chocolate chips to the batter before baking. 
  • If you’re gluten free, just use gluten free flour instead of plain flour.
  • Play around with citrus flavours, such as lime, lemon and orange.  
  • If you don’t have enough marrow, you can use grated carrots to make up the right amount, i.e. 350g. You might need to increase the cooking time though. 
  • Another fun topping is desiccated coconut. 
  • Other spices to play with: 1 tsp ground cardamom or ¼ tsp cloves.
  • Instead of the mascarpone topping, you can make a lime icing instead. Mix 85g (¾ cup) powdered icing sugar (confectioner's sugar) and 15ml (1 tbsp) lime juice until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake and sprinkle with the lime zest.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: British

Keywords: marrow cake, marrow recipe, marrow dessert, overgrown courgette cake, large courgette loaf cake