Chocolate and courgette cake

Key notes

Serves: 1 Cake

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

350g self-raising flour

50g cocoa powder

1 tsp mixed spice

175ml extra-virgin olive oil

375g golden caster sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

500ml grated courgette (2 medium courgettes)

140g toasted hazelnut, roughly chopped

For the icing

200g dark chocolate

100ml double cream

Heat the oven to 180C.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, mixed spice and 1 tsp salt.
In another bowl, combine the olive oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla essence and grated courgette.
Mix the dry and wet mixture until just combined, then fold in the toasted hazelnuts.
Line 2x 24cm shallow cake tins with greaseproof paper, then pour in your mixture. Bake for about 30 mins, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.
For the icing: place the chocolate in a bowl and bring cream to the boil in a saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until completely smooth and melted. Leave the icing to cool slightly and thicken, then spread it over the cake.