My garden is bursting with cucumbers! I needed to find some fresh ways to use them, and of course, I immediately wanted to put them into cake. This recipe borrows from both the concept of an Indian tavsalli and good ol’ zucchini bread. The bright, clover-like flavor of the cucumber really stands out in this extremely simple snack cake. You’ll never look at those old cucumbers the same way again!





Ingredients:
2 Tblsp butter
1 cup cream of wheat
2 tsp cardamom
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 cups grated, peeled cucumber (drain most of the juice out)
1 Tblsp canola oil
1 egg
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup roughly chopped & lightly salted roasted cashews
½ cup dried cherries or chopped dried apricots
½ heaping cup sweetened coconut flakes
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan.

In a skillet over low heat, melt butter. Add cream of wheat and spices. (If you are using unsalted nuts in this recipe, add a pinch of salt to the cream of wheat.) Turn heat up to medium. Stir together and lightly toast for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, combine the grated cucumber, oil, egg, and sugar. Blend together well. Now, add the baking powder and baking soda to the cream of wheat mixture and whisk together. Add the dry ingredients to the cucumber mixture and stir just to combine. DO NOT OVERMIX or your cake will turn tough. Gently fold in the cashews, cherries and coconut.

Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The cake is done when the top is golden and the “toothpick test” comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Or, eat it warm with coconut ice cream.

Serves: 12

Labels: cake, cucumber, cucumber cake