A cake made with cucumber and mint! Have I gone mad???
Well, I think some of the mums at my playgroup thought so last week when I took it in to be eaten. It was a cake which definitely divided opinion, however, once they tried a slice, they did change their mind and only one Mum declared it was not for her!
This cake was actually inspired by a recent trip I took to London with my Mum. I do not visit London very often, maybe once a year, usually on a blogging event and I try to meet with my brother too who lives there as I do not see him often either. Therefore, my visits are normally rushed and I never see the sights which makes the country’s capital so famous for! Therefore, when Rennie invited me to go on an Afternoon Tea Tour of the capital I jumped at the opportunity – I mean cake, tea and a chance to be a tourist and see the sights! There was no way I was not going to attend and being allowed a plus one, I asked my Mum to accompany me as we rarely get the chance to enjoy some mother and daughter time nowadays.
We were met off the train by my brother and his girlfriend who escorted us to the tour bus meeting point and then it was just lovely to sit back, eat, drink, relax and enjoy the sights out of the bus window. Here are my favourite photos from the day:
It really was a wonderful hour and a half! And afterwards Mum and I walked to Buckingham Palace before catching our train home in the sunshine. Thank you Rennie and the team for a fab day 🙂
Anyway, back to my cake inspiration…..
Aboard the bus we were treated to an array of delectable and scrummy cakes, sandwiches, and pastries (as you can see from the above photos) all created by BB Bakery who run the tour bus. One of my favourite taste sensations was a sandwich made from mint infused bread, which was filled with cream cheese and cucmber – it was so delicious and refreshing and it got me thinking about how I could get this flavour into a cake. Well, after one failed attempt, I managed to to create my Cucumber and Mint Cake which I filled with a cream cheese frosting and here is how I made it
- 1/2 cucumber
- 6 fresh mint leaves
- 200g unsalted butter
- 200g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 200g self raising flour
- 350g cream cheese
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- fresh mint sprig for decoration (optional)
- pre heat the oven to 180oC 160oC (fan)
- grease and line 2 x 8 inch cake tins
- slice the cucumber in half and scoop out the seeds, and chop into chunks
- place the cucumber and the mint in a food processor and blitz to make it all small
- add the butter and blitz again
- then place the butter and the sugar into a large bowl and cream together (I use a free standing mixer) for about 5 minutes until smooth
- add the eggs and a spoonful of the flour and beat for a few minutes
- then fold in the remaining flour
- Divide the mixture between the cake tins and then bake for approx 25 minutes until risen, golden brown and cooked all the way through
- once the sponge is completely cooled down, slice each one across the middle to make a total of 4 sponges
- place the cream cheese and icing sugar in a bowl and mix
- spread the sponges with the frosting and assemble as per the photo, and add a final lashing of the frosting on the top of the 4th sponge
- add a sprig of mint to garnish and serve (keep chilled until ready to keep the frosting set, and store in a cool place once cut)
I really enjoyed this cake, it was light, refreshing and sweet and made a nice change from more traditional sponge cakes.
What do you think – would you love or hate this cake?
I attended the Afternoon Tea Tour Bus as a guest by Rennie and my travel expenses were reimbursed. I was not asked to create a recipe but chose to do so at my own expense.
what a great selection of food on that bus trip, I bet it was great! Your cake looks so pretty too…
Thanks Helen and yes the food was soooo tasty!!! X
OMG those cakes looked amazing!! I’ve heard about that bus tour…think it was on Xfactor that I saw it. Your cake sounds really interesting. I tried courgette cakes recently and wasn’t convinced they’d taste good until I did try them. x
They were sooooo good!!!! Thank you x
I think I’d like your cucumber cake. It’s not the most obvious cake ingredient, but I’ve had courgette cake and it was great! This is the first time I’ve heard about the Afternoon tea tour – what a fantastic idea! On my list of things to do the next time I get a day out in London… 🙂
#tastytuesdays
What a stunning and utterly unique cake, you by the way look beautiful too, loved all the London pics, I want an afternoon tea tour now! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
So I clearly need to go to london! And I think if I heard a cake was made with cucumber, I’d be a bit skeptical too like the ladies in your mummy group…but that’s never stopped me from trying cake!
#tastytuesday
.:Marta @ petiteraisin.ca:.
Mmm I’m intrigued. Anything with cream cheese frosting is a winner for me 😉
This looks totally my cup of tea (and Cake) I’ve saved it as I think it would be lovely to try! Thank you #tastytuesday x
This looks absolutely divine! How clever are you. Perfect with a glass of Pimms this summer. x
It looks like you had a great time, I love the Paddington picture 🙂 this cake looks delicious, I have never used cucumber but have used courgette which is similar so I can imagine how delicious it is with the mint x #TastyTuesdays
I wish I’d been able to attend this but we were on holiday. Looks like you had a fab day and your cake … well it’s simply genius.
Love the sound of this cake – would have loved to try a slice. I had to miss out on that tour but looks like you had a fab time! Thanks for linking with #CookBlogShare
That looks so delicious and perfect for a sunny day with a cup of earl grey. Or a G&T 😉 What a lovely day out for you and your mum!
Ohh I really really want to go on that bus tour, i don’t think I’d want to get off. It all looks so good! Your cake looks and sounds so unusual but if definitely give it a try! 🙂
What a lovely idea. I grow mint and use if for all sorts of things – never thought of cake. Let alone with cucumber but it sounds very summery 🙂
This looks lovely, nice flavours combinations 😉
What lovely flavours in this cake – I’d never have thought of a cucumber cake before but it looks lovely and light!