Gluten-free carrot and zucchini slab cake

This cake is lovely and light and tender - and a good one for kids who are tricky about vegetables!

Credit: Lyndey Milan's Baking Secrets

• serves

  18

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup (185 g) caster sugar
• Grated rind and juice one medium orange
• ¾ cup (180 ml) olive oil
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 small zucchini, grated
• 2 cups (300 g) gluten-free self-raising flour 
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (100 g) walnuts, chopped
• ⅔ cup (100 g) sunflower, pumpkin seeds and pine nut mix, toasted, to garnish

Lemon icing

• 1½ cups (330 g) pure icing sugar or gluten-free icing sugar mixture
• Finely grated zest of one medium lemon
• 2 tbsp (40 ml) lemon juice
• 20 g butter, softened

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease the base and sides of a deep 33 cm x 24 cm baking pan, line base and short sides with a sheet of baking paper.

2. Using electric beaters, beat eggs in a medium bowl until thick and creamy. Gradually add sugar, and beat well after each addition. Add the rind and juice and beat until well combined. Slowly add the olive oil, beating until well combined and mixture is thick and creamy. This should take about 3 minutes. (It's important to add the oil slowly, as this is the secret to the light texture of this cake.)

3. Gently fold in carrot, zucchini, flour, cinnamon and walnuts. Pour cake mixture into pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Stand cake in pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

4. For lemon icing, sift icing sugar into a bowl, add zest, then blend in lemon juice and butter with a spoon, mix well. Heat uncovered for 40-45 seconds in the microwave (or over a bowl of hot water), stir until smooth and shiny.

5. Pour icing over cake, spreading with a spatula, and garnish with the sunflower seed mix.

Note

•Use a fruity extra virgin olive oil for a more distinct flavour in this moist cake.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.