eternal spring

Passport & Plate - Spring zucchini cake

Russian Federation | Tuesday, March 11, 2014 | 3 photos

Ingredients:4 chicken eggs; 150 grams of sugar; 1 teaspoon of cardamom seeds;1 teaspoon of ground ginger; 150 milliliters of olive oil; 500 grams of fresh zucchini; 200 grams of flour; 10 grams of baking powder; powdered sugar and chopped hazelnuts - optionally
How to prepare this recipe:
Step 0. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Step 1. Whip 4 chicken eggs with 150 grams of sugar for 10 minutes.
Step 2. Add to the eggs 1 teaspoon of cardamom seeds, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger and 150 milliliters of olive oil, gently mix.
Step 3. Grate 500 grams of fresh zucchini and add them to the mixture.
Step 4. Add 200 grams of flour mixed with 10 grams of baking powder.
Step 5. Gently mix and pour out the dough into the pan, greased and floured.
Step 6. Bake it in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 45-55 minutes.
Step 7. Cool and scatter it with powdered sugar and chopped hazelnuts.
The story behind this recipe
At first, close your eyes. Yes-yes, you. Please, close your eyes. And now imagine how the spring penetrates into your world. You wake up early in the morning, stretch yourself in bed and feel that today is a special day. No, it’s not your wedding, it’s not the day when your football team at last wins the game. This day is greater. So hurry to go to the kitchen - today your grandfather prepares breakfast. Yes, this way the spring begins.
Each March the 1st your grandfather bakes the spring in the oven. He whips 4 chicken eggs with 150 grams of sugar for 10 minutes - thanks to this the spring will be airy and light. To add a touch of spice and a bit of playful mood he adds to the eggs 1 teaspoon of cardamom seeds, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger and 150 milliliters of olive oil. I hope you're already awake - look how your grandfather’s blue eyes are gleaming mischievously! Now the spring needs some color, it must be gentle and hope giving. That’s why grandfather grates 500 grams of fresh zucchini and adds them to the mixture. At the end he adds 200 grams of flour mixed with 10 grams of baking powder to make the spring solid. And the last thing. Humming under his breath some trivial melody grandfather gently mixes and pours out the dough into the pan, greased and floured and bakes it in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 45-55 minutes. It remains to wait, when the spring is cool to scatter it with powdered sugar and chopped hazelnuts… and eat it in company of grandfather and his incredible spring eyes.
P.S. If your eyes are still closed and you’re still in the 1st of March, please, don’t invite your grandmother to morning tea with your grandfather - when she sees the kitchen after the grandfather’s staying there, she will have a heart attack, and grandfather and you will have to wash the kitchen from the effects of cooking process for all day long.
P.P.S. In this story all the characters are real. How real is zucchini cake - sweet, spicy and incredibly spring.