There is always a period of apprehension after putting a cake in the oven.  Will it work?  Should the mixture have been that thick?  Should I have measured the ingredients more carefully?  Why didn’t I bother sifting the flour?!  These were my thoughts after putting this cake into the oven.

It’s time to admit it.  I am not a patient cook.  I can’t bear waiting for butter and sugar to cream! I can’t wait for things to cool.  You get the picture.  I am also notorious for using recipes more as suggestions.  Don’t have any of this?  No problem, I’ll swap it for that.  Can’t find my scales?  No worries, I’ll guess.  This is probably why baking has always left me frustrated.  It turns out you really do need to be precise.

So when I decided to embark on this project I also decided to be the kind of cook that measured everything out into tiny little bowls beforehand.  To clear my workspace.  To be patient.  I had been doing so well…until now.

The kitchen was a mess so I perched everything on a tiny corner of the bench.  I had just come in from work and didn’t bother to take my coat off.  I’m still wearing it as I write this.  BUT, zucchinis had infiltrated my fridge and I had to act NOW OR IT WOULD BE TOO LATE!  I rifled through Nana’s books to find something that most closely resembled what I had in my cupboards.  Zucchini-Carrot Yoghurt Cake hello!

So here we go folks:

125g butter or margarine
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 cup coarsely grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchinis) – first fail…I did not read this properly.  Let’s just say I had to put grated zucchini in a few more meals.
1/2 cup coarsely grated carrot (about 1 medium carrot)
1/3 cup plain natural yoghurt (yes another one of these infuriating thirds!)
2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour (I realised here that I didn’t have any, so swapped if for 1 cup of SR flour & 1 of spelt flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder)

It goes on:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (I was patient). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in zucchini, carrot and yoghurt, then sifted flour (should it look this disgusting?). Return husks from sifter to mixture (obviously no need for me to worry about this). Spread mixture into well-greased 20x20cm ring tin (What? A ring tin? Oh, no. Not in the cupboard. Phone call to Mum to confirm she owns ring tin. Dash into the car, still wearing slippers. Have to get this done before German class!) Then bake in moderate oven for 30 minutes or until cooked when tested (looks ok. Golden brown, risen.). Stand a few minutes before turning it on to wire rack to cool.

So, did I pull it off? Simon’s description of the cake “moist, light and guilt free”…I’ll take that.