Courgette and lemon cake with basil

A beautifully moist loaf cake made with olive oil and ground almonds, bursting with fresh lemon zest and hidden grated courgette. Soaked in a fragrant basil and lemon syrup, then finished with crunchy pistachios, candied lemon peel and tiny basil leaves. A bright, elegant bake perfect for afternoon tea or dessert.

Original recipe by Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen 07 Nov 2026
Now optimised as a 3-stage timed method and including key techniques for success.

Moderate overall nutritional quality. Courgette adds fibre and moisture; ground almonds provide good fats and protein. Olive oil is a heart-friendly alternative to butter. Sugar content keeps this from an A rating. Enjoy as an occasional treat with a cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients

How the timings work

• Make syrup first — simmers 5 mins then infuses off heat while you mix cake; strain just before using
• Prep lemons and grate courgette — do this while oven heats; zest first then juice for efficiency
• Bake cake — 50 to 60 mins; test with skewer before removing, oven temperatures vary
• Soak syrup while warm — prick thoroughly; syrup absorbs best when cake is hot
• Cool completely before slicing — texture sets as it cools; finish with garnishes just before serving

Method

Make the basil and lemon syrup (10 mins)

1. Simmer base — put 150ml water, 150g caster sugar, juice of 2 lemons and zest of 1 lemon in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until sugar dissolves fully. Bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Infuse — remove from heat. Add all basil leaves. Leave to infuse 10 mins so flavour releases.
3. Finish and strain — stir in pinch of salt and 1 tbsp olive oil. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a jug. Discard basil leaves. Set syrup aside.

Mix and bake the cake (25 mins + 50 to 60 mins baking)

1. Prep and preheat — heat oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper. Grate 250g courgette; squeeze lightly if very wet.
2. Whisk base — put 3 eggs and 200g sugar in a large bowl. Whisk with an electric hand whisk until pale, thick and fluffy — about 3 to 4 mins.
3. Add wet ingredients — slowly whisk in 150ml olive oil, zest of 3 lemons and 50ml lemon juice. Mix gently until combined.
4. Fold dry ingredients — sift in 250g self-raising flour, 50g ground almonds, 1 tsp baking powder and pinch of salt. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix.
5. Fold courgette — add grated courgette and fold through evenly. Spoon batter into lined tin, smooth top level.
6. Bake — bake 50 to 60 mins until deep golden and firm to touch. Skewer inserted into centre comes out clean with no wet batter.

Soak and finish (10 mins + cooling)

1. Prick and soak — leave cake in tin for 10 mins. Prick top all over deeply with a skewer. Slowly spoon warm syrup all over cake — it will soak in gradually.
2. Cool completely — leave to absorb syrup and cool fully in tin. Texture firms up as it cools. Turn out carefully when cold.
3. Garnish and serve — scatter top with 50g chopped pistachios, 50g candied lemon peel and fresh basil leaves. Slice and serve.

Techniques for Success

1. Whisk eggs and sugar thoroughly — volume here gives lift and lightness. Take time until pale and tripled in volume. Success: risen, even, golden loaf with soft springy crumb. Failure: dense, sunken, heavy cake that lacks lift.
2. Fold gently, do not overmix — flour develops gluten if beaten hard; that makes cake tough. Cut through mixture with spatula. Success: tender, moist crumb that melts in mouth. Failure: tight, rubbery texture that feels heavy.
3. Prick deeply, soak warm — syrup needs channels to penetrate right to centre. Hot cake absorbs best. Success: evenly moist, fragrant all the way through. Failure: sticky surface only, dry underneath.

Tips & Swaps

• Get ahead: Cake keeps beautifully up to 3 days wrapped in foil or in an airtight container at room temperature — it actually gets moister as syrup settles. Syrup can be made 2 days ahead; warm gently before soaking cake.
• Shortcuts: Buy ready-chopped pistachios and candied lemon peel to save time. Zest all lemons first then juice — avoids switching tools and missing zest.
• Dietary notes: Vegetarian and pregnancy-friendly as written — all ingredients fully cooked. Use pasteurised eggs if preferred. Gluten-free version works well with good-quality GF flour blend.
• Leftovers: Slice and freeze individual portions up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature 1 hour. Pistachio and basil garnish best added fresh just before serving.
• Serving ideas: Delicious plain with tea or coffee. Serve with thick Greek yoghurt, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream as a dessert. Extra lemon syrup can be drizzled over slices if you like it extra moist.
• Flavour boost: Use only fresh basil — dried will not work here. If syrup feels too thick after cooling, stir in 1 tsp warm water at a time to reach pouring consistency. Don’t skip the cooling-in-tin step — it finishes setting the texture.

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