I have been so lucky this summer because a few of my friends have allotments and so I have found myself in the fortunate position of receiving surplus fruit and vegetables. I have happily taken plums, apples, tomatoes, courgettes, beans and beetroot.
And then there’s marrow.
Firstly, I would like to ask: who was the person that decided that marrow was a good idea? In fact, until a couple of years ago I had never even heard of it! (For good reason). If you’re one of these lucky people who has been blessed with living a marrow-free life then let me take a moment to explain. It is a courgette on steroids; an obscenely large vegetable that is completely and utterly tasteless. When asked ‘what can I do with marrow?’ most people reply that it’s best hollowed out and stuffed with chilli or rice or beans or some other delicious saucy concoction you have made and then baked in the oven. This is because you need a flavoursome filling to counteract the utter tastelessness of this incredibly boring vegetable. Marrow is the perfect example of bigger not always being better.
I think you have guessed by now that I am not marrow’s biggest fan. And yet despite this, I agreed to take two monstrous marrow from my friend’s allotment because I feel I have a duty to not leave any veg behind. It’s not marrows fault that they are insanely dull…why should they be punished? Since all I eat are plants, I feel that I need to find ways to enjoy every vegetable I’m given. In fairness, this way of thinking has worked over the last few months! During lockdown when fruit and veg were scarce, I didn’t have a choice what came in my weekly organic veg box and so I embraced everything and found a place for it in my life. The result is that veggies I have previously disliked (such as cucumbers and courgettes) have become firm favourites! (Well, maybe not favourites but at least I eat them now!)
Marrow, however, is in a category on its own. When presented with these ghastly beasts I panicked (would they fit in my fridge?!) Yes, I could do a meal or two of the so-called ‘marrow boat’ but what then? That wouldn’t even make a dent in the supply! Funnily enough, I did decide that the micro pig I’ve been wanting for some time would be very useful at this point as their diet consists of veg scraps. My marrow woes would be over! (Unfortunately, that argument has failed to convince my husband that we should buy a micro pig).
The Lemon Marrow Loaf
Well, at this point I turned to other options. I’m a firm believer in trying to flip negative experiences into positive ones and I asked myself ‘what do I find most delicious?’ The answer was simple: Cake. So I did some googling and found myself some courgette cake recipes and then simply substituted that for marrow! Because marrow is so tasteless it works perfectly in a cake as it makes it incredibly moist (meaning you use less oil) and I can convince myself that I’m getting one of my five a day!
The first cake I tried was this easy lemon loaf from www.domesticgothess.com and it was scrumptious! True to form I did make some alterations to make it healthier which I have listed below.
Amendments:
- I used 100g plain white flour, 100g wholemeal and 60g buckwheat flour. I think you could play around with this ratio and use what you have! Spelt would also work well.
- I didn’t use any caster sugar, just 100g of brown sugar. As a rule of thumb, I tend to reduce the sugar in most recipes as many of them are too sweet.
- I didn’t make the lemon glaze, partly because I was trying to be healthy and partly because I was lazy! I found that the loaf was very tasty without it.
Hacks:
- The cake is so moist and fluffy that it can be served as is. But I think it’s extra special when put under the grill for a couple of minutes so it goes crispy on the top.
- It’s perfect to freeze. I doubled the recipe and popped one loaf in the freezer as I’m a firm believer that one should always have homemade cake readily available.
The Decadent (but not too naughty!) Chocolate Cake:
After I made the lemon loaves I was still left with one and a half giant marrows! Luckily I was seeing friends on the weekend so I decided to whip up this easy and incredibly tasty chocolate cake. What I like about this recipe is that unlike the lemon cake you don’t have to squeeze the water out of the marrow but instead you let the water gradually seep out while sitting in the bowl (I use this time to prep my cake tins). What this does is result in a lovely moist cake that’s not soggy!
Click here for the Chocolate Cake Recipe originally found on my fav blogs www.lovingitvegan.com
Amendments:
- I used half white flour and half wholemeal flour and the cake was still very light and fluffy!
- I also halved the amount of sugar to 150g and it was sweet enough, especially if you are making a buttercream frosting. However, if you have a sweet tooth increase the sugar to 200g.
- I used soy yoghurt instead of mayonnaise
Hacks:
- I made my icing out of coconut cream (I took this from my Lamington Cake recipe) as I wanted a healthier alternative to buttercream icing that wasn’t too sweet!
- You may need to store your cake in the fridge as sometimes the coconut cream can melt a little!
So when life gives you marrows (or any other veg you don’t like), don’t despair! Just bake a cake. 🍰
If you’ve tried this recipe I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below or SUBSCRIBE via email so you never miss a delicious recipe again! 😀
So how did they taste? They certainly look delicious.
Yum! I LOVE baking with courgette, but never had marrow. Actually, maybe I have but didn’t notice the difference haha! These both look so yum, I can’t wait until Summer veg season soon in Oz x
Yes definitely give them a try! As you know, courgette works just as well. 🙂
Incredible! Very moist and super easy. Can definitely recommend for your next morning tea! Just substitute the marrow with zucchini.