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Photograph of Spicy Cake with Vegetable/Fruit and Nuts - Core Recipe

Spicy Cake with Vegetable/Fruit and Nuts - Core Recipe

Moist and bursting with flavours from spices, vegetables or fruit, nuts, coconut and vanilla, this foolproof cake can be eaten as is or enhanced with a deliciously, smooth and creamy Cream Cheese Frosting.

Course afternoon tea, Cake, Dessert, Morning Coffee, Snack, treat
Keyword cake, cashew nuts, roast vegetables, spicy
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

For the vegetable/fruit and nut mix: 

  • 70g nuts plus optional extra for decoration
  • 180g prepared vegetables/fruit

Wet ingredients:

  • 140g sunflower or vegetable oil
  • 80g natural yoghurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Dry ingredients:

  • 150g whole wheat or plain/all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of /baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 - 3 teaspoons spice powder(s)
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • 140g light muscovado or light brown sugar
  • 40g desiccated coconut

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas 6

  2. Tip the nuts onto a baking tray and cook in a pre-heated oven for 5 - 10 minutes giving them a stir half way through. Remove from the oven and tip onto a plate or into a bowl to prevent them cooking further.

    Remove any optional extras for decorating the cake

  3. When you take the nuts out of the oven, turn the heat down to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4

  4. Whilst the nuts are cooking, collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and remaining ingredients.

  5. A)If you would like some chunks of nuts in the cake, place ⅔ of the rest of the nuts in the food processor and blitz until the they are the texture of ground almonds, OR

    B) If you do not want any chunks of nuts in the cake, place all of the rest of the nuts in the food processor and blitz until the they are the texture of ground almonds

  6. Add the vegetables/fruit and blitz until broken down.

  7. Add the wet ingredients – the oil, yoghurt, eggs and vanilla and blitz until thoroughly mixed.

  8. Now add the dry ingredients – the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, spice powder(s), salt, sugar and coconut/oats. Pulse until nearly mixed in.

  9. Then add any remaining nuts. Pulse briefly to mix in and slightly chop. Alternatively, fold into the batter by hand. Be careful not to over-mix at this stage.

  10. Either:

    A) Transfer the cake batter equally into lined and greased baking tins (See Recipe Notes.) OR

    B) Line a muffin tin with 16 paper cases and fill each paper case until around ⅔ full or roughly 60g of cake batter per cupcake.

  11. Cook in the centre of the oven until the cakes are cooked.

    This should take:

    20 cm/8 inch round - 30 - 35 minutes

    18 cm/7 inch round - 25 - 30 minutes

    Cupcakes - 20 - 25 minutes

    They are cooked when:

    – the centre feels slightly springy when lightly touched

    – a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean

    – the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin. (Round cake tin only - not cupcakes)

  12. Take out of the oven but leave in the tins for 5 minutes before removing the cakes and transferring to a cooling rack.

  13. If icing: leave to cool completely.

    If serving as muffins: they are best served warm.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • Baking tray
  • Chopping board and knife
  • Kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • Food processor
  • 7 inch round cakes tins greased and lined with baking parchment
  • electric whisk and mixing bowl

Balancing the cake tins:

  • It is important that the tins have as equal amount of batter as possible. You can do it by eye but this is a really simple way to be accurate. To do this, I:
  • put a cake tin on the scales and zero the scales
  • add half or one third of the batter. Take off the scales, place another empty tin on the scales and press to ensure the scales have gone back to zero
  • add the remaining or another one third of the batter and check it is the same weight. If not adjust. 

No food processor?

If you do not have a food processor, I recommend you use ground almonds instead of any other nuts and you can grate the vegetables or fruit using a box grater. Combine the nuts, vegetables/fruit and wet ingredients with a whisk or beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. Fold in the dry ingredients. 

If you only have a small food processor, you can blitz the nuts and either blitz or grate the vegetables/fruit and make up the cake by hand as explained directly above. 

4 EGG VERSION FOR 3 x 20cm/8 inch ROUND LAYERS OR 4 x 18cm/7 inch ROUND LAYERS OR 28 - 32 CUPCAKES/MUFFINS

For the vegetable/fruit and nut mix: 

  • 140g nuts, plus optional extra for topping the cake
  • 360g prepared vegetables/fruit

Wet ingredients:

  • 280g sunflower or vegetable oil 
  • 160g natural yoghurt
  • 4 large eggs 
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Dry ingredients:

  • 300g whole wheat or plain/all-purpose flour 
  • 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of /baking soda 
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 - 6 teaspoons spice powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 280g light muscovado or light brown sugar
  • 80g desiccated coconut/oats (optional)

3 EGG VERSION FOR 3 x 18cm/7 inch ROUND LAYERS OR 21 - 24 CUPCAKES/MUFFINS

For the vegetable/fruit and nut mix: 

  • 105g nuts, plus optional extra for topping the cake
  • 270g prepared vegetables/fruit

Wet ingredients:

  • 210g sunflower or vegetable oil 
  • 120g natural yoghurt
  • 3 large eggs 
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract 

Dry ingredients:

  • 225g whole wheat or plain/all-purpose flour 
  • 1½ teaspoons bicarbonate of /baking soda 
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 - 4½ teaspoons spice powder
  • ¾ teaspoon fine salt
  • 210g light muscovado, light brown sugar, dark brown or caster sugar
  • 60g desiccated coconut/oats (optional)

2 EGG VERSION FOR 2 x 18cm/7 inch ROUND LAYERS OR 14 - 16 CUPCAKES/MUFFINS

For the vegetable/fruit and nut mix: 

  • 70g nuts, plus optional extra for topping the cake
  • 180g prepared vegetables/fruit

Wet ingredients:

  • 140g sunflower or vegetable oil 
  • 80g natural yoghurt
  • 2 large eggs 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Dry ingredients:

  • 150g whole wheat or plain/all-purpose flour 
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of /baking soda 
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 - 3 teaspoons spice powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • 140g light muscovado or light brown sugar
  • 40g desiccated coconut/oats (optional)

1 EGG VERSION FOR 1 X 18 cm/7 inch LAYER OR 7 - 8 CUPCAKES/MUFFINS

For the carrot and nut mix: 

  • 35g nuts, plus optional extra for topping the cake
  • 90g prepared vegetables/fruit

Wet ingredients:

  • 70g sunflower or vegetable oil 
  • 40g natural yoghurt
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 

Dry ingredients:

  • 75g whole wheat or plain/all-purpose flour 
  • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of /baking soda 
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 - 2 teaspoons spice powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 70g light muscovado, light brown sugar, dark brown or caster sugar
  • 20g desiccated coconut/oats (optional)