4 incredible cakes that shine a spotlight on vegetables

We all know that cake has associations with indulgence. That soft, spongy bite that’s covered in sweet, creamy, lick-able icing. There’s nothing quite like it.

Sadly cakes have got a bad rap – mainly because they often contain flour (a Banter’s enemy) and quite a large amount of that devil ingredient that’s also been given the stink eye lately – sugar.

This doesn’t mean you have to give up your love for baking scrumptious treats quite yet. Simply balance out the unhealthy with some healthy – by injecting your cakes with a dose of veggies!

I’ve rounded up 4 delicious cake recipes that require good-for-you, wholefood ingredients.

Have a look…

1. Carrot cake – this old-timer is still loved by millions, and someone in the Food24 team (I won’t name names!) actually asked me a few months ago if there were really carrots in carrot cake. Face palm!

2. Beetroot, sesame and poppy seed cake – beetroot is great at lowering blood pressure and provides a lovely earthy, sweet flavour to baked items.

3. Zucchini cake – zucchini is also known in South Africa as baby marrow or courgette and you won’t believe how delicious this bake is. And the recipe is totally grain-free. Winning!

4. Cinnamon and pumpkin bundt cake – Unlike Americans, South Africans aren’t completely comfortable with the thought of eating pumpkin in a sweet/dessert dish. But let me quell those thoughts right away. Pumpkin is an incredible baking ingredient. It provides moisture, a softer crumb and the resulting flavour is something sort of similar to banana bread. Have I piqued your interest yet?