Cucumber Spice Cake

We've been pretty good about keeping up with the cucumbers this year but since I haven't made pickles yet, something needed to be done. Since I'd rather bake than cook most days, the creative cucumber dish would be a cake. It's based on a simple eggless, dairy-free cake which handles lots of moisture, perfect for cucumbers. It doesn't really taste like cucumber, just like a moist spice cake.


Cucumber Spice Cake
350 g all-purpose flour (2-2/3 cups)
400 g sugar (2 cups)
1 Tbsp fresh orange zest
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp star anise
1/8 tsp mace
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 C peeled, seeded, shredded cucumber

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, zest, baking soda, salt, and spices. In another bowl, combine oil, vinegar and cucumber. Add cucumber mixture to flour mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes then remove from pan and cool completely on a rack.

Note - I tried making this with some fresh minced chocolate mint in place of the orange zest. It did not turn out well. J said it really brought out a cucumber taste and I thought it was reminiscent of toothpaste. Not that it stopped people from eating it but mint is not something I'd add to this cake again!