The Courgette Cake with Cream Cheese Filling That’ll Make You Want to Grow Courgettes

The best Courgette Cake With Cream Cheese Filling & Passionfruit Curd – it’s that good.

Every year, without fail, my family asks the same question around early spring: "When are you making the first courgette cake?"

Not “when are you sowing courgettes?” or “how’s the garden doing?” No. They want cake season to begin.

And honestly? I can’t blame them. This courgette cake is moist, light, and filled with a tangy swirl of cream cheese and passionfruit curd that takes it to a whole new level. It’s the sort of cake that turns “courgette glut” from a problem into a reason to celebrate.

Why You’ll Love It

• It’s a perfect use for courgettes (especially those sneaky ones that double in size overnight).

• The texture is soft and rich, thanks to the moisture from the veg.

• It’s layered with Philadelphia cream cheese frosting and passionfruit curd, so it’s got just the right mix of sweet, tart, and creamy.

• It looks beautiful topped with a few edible flowers (Roses, Pansies, Calendula )

This is the cake that converts courgette-sceptics and makes you want to grow just one more plant.

Courgette Cake with Cream Cheese & Passionfruit Curd Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 200g grated courgette (squeeze out any excess water)

• 200g self-raising flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 150g caster sugar

• 100ml sunflower oil

• 2 eggs

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Filling:

• 150g Philadelphia cream cheese ( Don't own supermarket own brand versions as they go runny when whipped)

• 75g unsalted butter (room temp)

• 100g icing sugar

• 2–3 tbsp passionfruit curd ( Not easy to get hold of but Waitrose do stock during the summer months and you can also buy online. If you cant get hold of any then substitute with Lemon Curd)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and grease two 20cm cake tins.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, bicarb, cinnamon and lemon zest.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Fold in the grated courgette.

4. Gently combine the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed.

5. Divide into your cake tins and bake for 25–30 mins until golden and springy.

6. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the Filling:

1. Beat the butter until light and fluffy.

2. Add the icing sugar and mix well.

3. Fold in the cream cheese.

   
   

To Assemble:

• Layer one cake with a few good thick dollops of curd, spreading out to the edges, then spoon over half the cream cheese mix.

• Top with the second cake layer and spread the rest of the cream cheese on top and down the sides making a swirl pattern on top with your palette knife

• Decorate with edible flowers - an absolute must for a showstopper cake !

🌱 Grow Your Cake

Here’s the thing: once you’ve made this cake, you won’t want to wait for courgette season to roll around again. It’s one of those recipes that turns a humble veg into something worth growing for.

If you’re not already growing courgettes, now’s the time. They’re easy, generous, and just two or three plants will keep you (and your cake tin) very happy all summer long.

👉 [Shop Courgette Seeds Here](Because great cake starts in the garden.)