Spiced Courgette Cake Muffins

Happy September! I have to say, this is now my favorite time of year, from now until January 2nd. I hate January and even the New Year's Day hangover is better than the entire month. But from September 1st till then is absolutely fabulous.

Is it my favorite time of year because the potential for baking is doubled compared to the spring? May be, but even before I fell in love with baking I loved the autumn. Smell of sharpened pencils, leaves on the lawns and crisp air is wonderful. I even enjoyed going back to school! Of course, fall semester in America means Homecoming, football games, back to school dances and pep rallies.

Possibly this autumn I'll attempt to capture that new school year-meets end of calendar year feeling. The sense of something beginning whilst at the same time, nature is getting set to hunker down for the year.

In the mean time I still have summer harvest courgettes to use up!

2 tbsp sunflower oil

100g plain flour

100g wholewheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 egg whites

5 tbsp skimmed milk

225g (8oz can) pineapple in chunks, drained of juice and mashed

250g grated courgette/zucchini

40g sultanas or raisins

40g chopped walnuts

Grease or line a muffin pan. Preheat oven to 190C/375F/5.

Sift together both flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger into mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar and stir.

Whisk together egg whites in small bowl. Mix in the milk and oil. Add mashed pineapple, courgette, sultanas and nuts. Stir together gently. Add fruit mix to flour mix. Stir until just combined, don't overmix.

Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cases. Bake 20-25 minutes or until risen and golden.

These are relatively moist but if you want a really good frosting, mix together 8oz any soft cheese (quark, cream cheese, marscapone etc) with 1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Let muffins cool slightly before frosting; you don't want to curdle your cheese. Sprinkle with cinnamon or perhaps finely chopped nuts.

This is quite a healthy recipe, especially if you use low- or reduced-fat cheese to top.

Sorry for lack of pictures, again. These things just get eaten too quickly!

Lemon Courgette Cake

In spite of planting the entire plot this year, the only consistent vegetable we're still harvesting at the allotment is courgette. Gold rush, zucchini and romano varieties. We have 8-ish plants total and even though we pick twice a week, they keep growing. It's astonishing.

I eat courgette at least once a day. I even have a recipe for marrow jam I'll be making this weekend just to use it all up.

So I guess it's time for another courgette cake.

I wasn't sure about lemon and cinnamon and after making it, I'm still not sure. There is a disconnect between the two ingredients. It tastes like it should be two different cakes. It's an edible cake and actually, I quite enjoyed it, but perhaps in the future I make either a lemon cake or a courgette cake.

200g grated courgette

150g caster sugar

1 egg

125ml vegetable oil

200g flour (I used half whole-wheat and half plain)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 160F/gas mark 3. Grease a loaf tin

Beat courgette, sugar, egg and oil. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder. Stir in cinnamon and lemon zest.

Stir the dry mix into the wet. Pour into tin. Bake 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

To glaze, mix together 3/4 cup icing sugar and 1 tsp lemon juice. If too dry, add a little lemon juice a drop at a time. Glaze while the cake is still warm.