Courgette Cake Smoked Salmon
Smoked salmon, grated courgette, dill and Comté baked into a savoury loaf. Moist and gently smoky, with a mild sweetness from the courgette that balances the salmon perfectly. Brilliant warm from the oven, just as good cold the next day!
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 oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the shallot, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Add the courgettes, season lightly with salt, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and most of the water has evaporated. Set aside to cool. Don't skip this, it's what stops the cake going soggy.
2. Prep the loaf pan and oven
- Grease a loaf tin generously with butter and line the bottom with parchment. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
3. Mix the wet ingredients
- Whisk the eggs and milk together. Add the melted butter (cooled slightly so it doesn't scramble the eggs) and whisk until smooth.
4. Add the dry ingredients
- Whisk in the flour and baking powder until smooth and thick, with no lumps. Season with black pepper and nutmeg. Go easy on the salt, the salmon and cheese are salty.
5. Fold in everything else
- Add the cooled courgettes, salmon, cheese and dill. Fold gently with a heat-resistant spatula until just combined. Don't overmix, you want distinct pieces of salmon and flecks of dill. The batter will be thick and chunky.
6. Bake
- Pour into the tin, smooth the top, and bake for 40 minutes, until golden and a skewer comes out clean. If it browns too fast, cover loosely with foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Cool and serve
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold, sliced thickly.
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.