Courgette Cake Smoked Salmon
Grated courgette mixed with smoked salmon, fresh dill, and melted Comté, all baked into a proper savory loaf. The courgettes are cooked first with shallots to concentrate the flavour and keep the texture right. The result is moist, savoury, and brilliant warm or cold. Perfect for summer apéros, picnics, or a light lunch with salad.
Ingredients
- 300 gr courgettes
- 1 tsp salt for draining courgettes
- 1 shallot
- 150 gr smoked salmon cut into strips or small pieces
- 3 eggs
- 120 gr plain flour
- 7 gr baking powder
- 60 gr unsalted butter
- 100 ml whole milk
- 80 gr Gruyère cheese or Comté, grated
- 1 tbsp dill optional
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
1. Cook the courgettes
- Coarsely grate the courgettes. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the grated courgettes, season lightly with salt, and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the courgettes are tender and most of the water has evaporated. Set aside to cool.This step is crucial. Raw courgettes release too much water during baking and make the cake soggy. Cooking them first concentrates the flavour and gets rid of excess moisture. Don't skip this.
2. Prep the loaf pan and oven
- Grease your loaf pan generously with butter and line the bottom with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).Butter works better than oil here for greasing. The parchment is essential for easy unmolding.
3. Mix the wet ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until combined. Add the melted butter and whisk again until smooth.Make sure the butter has cooled slightly so it doesn't scramble the eggs when you mix it in.
4. Add the dry ingredients
- Add the flour and baking powder to the egg mixture. Whisk until you have a smooth, thick batter with no lumps. Season generously with black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg if using. Go easy on the salt, the salmon and cheese are already salty.The batter should be quite thick at this stage. Don't worry, the courgettes will loosen it.
5. Fold in everything else
- Add the cooled courgette mixture, salmon strips, grated cheese, and chopped dill to the batter. Fold everything together gently with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed.Don't overmix. You want to see distinct pieces of salmon and flecks of green dill throughout. The batter will be thick and chunky, that's exactly right.
6. Bake
- Pour the mixture into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown on top and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.The top should be properly golden with a slight crack down the middle. If it's browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 10-15 minutes.
7. Cool and serve
- Let it cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold, sliced thickly.It's lovely warm when the cheese is still soft, but just as good cold the next day. The flavours develop overnight.
Notes
- Flour amount: This recipe uses 120g flour for a moist texture. If you prefer a firmer cake, increase to 150-180g flour.
- If you're not a fan of dill, you can replace it with fresh chives.
- Offcuts smoked salmon are cheaper and work brilliantly here since you're cutting it up anyway. Smoked trout is also a lovely alternative.
- Make ahead: Bakes perfectly the day before. Keep covered at room temperature or in the fridge. Also freezes brilliantly, slice first, wrap well, freeze for up to 3 months.
- This cake is gorgeous with a crisp green salad dressed with vinaigrette and also brilliant for picnics as it travels well and doesn't need refrigeration for a few hours.