Goat Cheese & Courgette Cake Recipe

This goat cheese & courgette cake is a delicious and versatile recipe. It’s easy to make and doesn’t need fancy equipment.

The chilli flakes add character and a touch of surprise to the recipe. It’s better served warm so the goat cheese is soft and even more flavourful. 

The result: a savoury moist cake with a golden crust and a hint of chilli and chives

The inspiration

I discovered savoury cakes while living in Paris. There are delicious and varied recipes for savoury cakes which are usually enjoyed for ‘aperitif’ – drinks and nibbles before dinner.

This recipe has my personal touch; the chilli. If you’ve read my recipes on the blog, you’ll realise that I love to cook with chilli.

The French palate does not welcome spicy food therefore, savoury cakes in France are delicious but not spicy.

This recipe has three different measurements of chilli flakes depending on the level of heat that you prefer. You can also omit the chilli.

A versatile recipe

When I baked the final version of this recipe and was happy with the result, I decided to share some slices with friends from different countries and cultures. I wanted to get feedback from different perspectives. I am fascinated by cultural, lifestyle and perception differences and therefore, I treasure the interesting comments and ideas that I received.

The feedback

• To no surprise, the touch of chilli was very welcome by people who love spicy food and rejected by those who don’t like spicy food. This is why I adjusted the chilli flakes measurement.
• Some people said that they would eat a thick slice or two of the cake with a green salad on the side and maybe some salsa. This would be considered a light meal.
• Other people said that they would smear butter on a thick slice and eat it at breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
• Personally, I like to enjoy warm thick slices of goat cheese & courgette cake cut in half, for an aperitif and accompany them with white wine, rose wine or champagne.

How would you serve it?

Serves: 12 
Prep. Time: 15 minutes          
Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

¼ cup olive oil

1 ½ cup shredded courgette, squeezed of excess water (place the shredded courgette in a clean cloth and squeeze to remove the natural green liquid)

3 tablespoons chopped chives

200 gr goat cheese

Chilli flakes (optional)

• 1 teaspoon = hot
• ¾ teaspoon = medium heat
• ½ teaspoon = mild heat

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C or 350 F.
• Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder into a bowl.

• Add salt, sugar and mix together.

• In a separate bowl add buttermilk and egg. Whisk until fully combined.

• Add olive oil to the liquid mix.

• Gently mix the liquid with the dry ingredients.
• Add the shredded courgette and chopped chives and mix.

• Finally, add the chilli flakes.

• Add half of the batter to a greased rectangular bread mould.
• Cut the cheese in long pieces and place them on top of the batter in the mould.

• Cover with the other half of the batter, tap the mould a few times to remove air bubbles and even out the batter.
• Place in the oven at 180 degrees C for one hour.
• Check if it’s ready by inserting a toothpick or a knife. If it comes out clean, it’s ready.
• Keep it in the mould out of the oven for 10 minutes.

• Unmould and let cool for another five minutes before slicing.

I recommend to serve it warm

To serve it warm place slices on a baking tray and heat them in a conventional oven at 150 degrees C for about 10 minutes.

When would you like to enjoy this spicy savoury cake? For breakfast, lunch, aperitif, a snack or dinner?

Read more recipes and get flavourful ideas to try out in your kitchen here.