Sweet Corn and Zucchini Cake: or How to Tackle a Summer Glut

It's corn season.




Normally, the conversation would end here as I busily stuff my face into bushels of fresh-from-the market corn on the cob.

But corn season started early this year due to the extreme heat, so there has been an abundance of corn in my kitchen. And it is particularly sweet this year. Like, tooth-achingly sweet. Literally candy corn sweet.



So how could I resist trying my hand at turning sweet corn into a cake. Real cake, not an adulterated version of cornbread, but a good and proper cake that could be eaten for dessert or a decadent-but-maybe-somewhat-healthy breakfast. Vegetable-based cakes are not new, and there is an abundance of them out there, often laced with chocolate to hide the vegetable like some shameful stowaway. But I love corn, so I don't see the need to camouflage it in chocolate. If carrots can get a featured spot, why not any other vegetable?



The following recipe is loosely based on Maida Heatter's Seattle Zucchini loaf. I've kept the grated courgette for the colour and extra moisture, but I've increased the vegetable content significantly and drastically cut down the sugar, though if this cake is still too sweet for you, it can probably be further reduced. Just be aware that the crumb's texture will change somewhat. If summer squash are not your thing or they aren't handy, coarsely grated carrots would also be dandy. One very important thing to note about Maida Heatter's recipes is that the flour is always sifted before measuring: this results in a very light, fluffy and voluminous flour that weighs significantly less than unsifted flour, so if you are using measuring cups to dole out your ingredients, please sift the flour before scooping it up. If you are weighing your ingredients instead of using  cup measurements, it doesn't really matter when/if you sift your dry ingredients.



Fresh, sweet corn is an important component to this cake. However, if your local corn is not particularly sweet, it can be substituted with 1¾ cup canned creamed corn (still more or less 400g) or tinned or frozen corn that you mush up a little bit. This recipe would also likely work with left-over cooked corn as well.



Sweet Corn and Zucchini Cake
Makes 2 pound cake loaves 22x12x7cm /8.5"x4.5"x2.5"

400g/ 2 cups corn off the cob, about 2 large uncooked ears
425g/ 2 packed cups zucchini, coarsely grated, about 2 large 
365g/ 3 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
225g/ 1 cup sugar
230g/ 1 cup butter, melted

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/ 350ºF.
Prepare two pound cake or bread tins by lining with parchment paper, or by buttering and flouring. Set aside.
Shuck the corn, and remove stray bits of silk. Using a long knife, cut the kernels as close to the cob as possible. 
Once all the corn kernel removed, use the back of your knife or a spoon to scrape out every last bit of starchy juices from the cob.
Wash the zucchini, top and tail, then coarsely grate. Leave to sit in a colander while you gather the other ingredients, then lightly squeeze out some -but not all- water from the courgette. (The above weight of squash is before squeezing out of juices.)
Combine the corn and zucchini, add the eggs and melted butter, and mix thoroughly.
Combine all the dry ingredients together, running a whisk or fork through it to break up any stubborn lumps.
Add the dry ingredients to the vegetables in thirds, folding in completely before adding the next lot: the batter will be very stiff, bordering on too dry -the vegetables will render out quite a bit of moisture during the baking.
Divide the batter evenly amongst the two tins, and place in the oven.
Bake for 80-90 minutes, or until quite burnished on top. Poking with a skewer will, unfortunately, give you a false positive, so you will need to rely on the cake's looks and a decisive poke to see it's ready: the cake should have a dry and crisp crust, just a little give and no jiggliness.
Remove from the tins, and allow to cool completely on a rack before cutting into the cakes.



This cake is extremely moist, with a beautifully crisp crust. So it benefits from a very long baking time and being allowed to cool down completely before being cut into. I know it can be a tall ask to allow cake to cool down, but if you don't, it will look grossly undercooked because of all the vegetables in the batter. The tender crumb will keep its texture for several days, but if you are still living in heat wave conditions, it may be safer to store the care in the refrigerator.





Bon App'!