Chris Gordon road tests the recipe for ‘Courgette’ Cake as seen in the delightfully quirky

As much as I am completely in love with this sweet book of delicious recipes, and even more delicious illustrations, I am equally concerned that these three wonderful Australian writers and food-lovers (all sisters) seem driven to use French words when there is no need. Does it make your food taste better? No. So let’s start again…

I recently put my hand to the Zucchini Cake recipe found in The Bookery Cook.

To be perfectly frank, I was feeling very pleased with myself because I simply went outside and picked one from my garden. If you’re interested in growing some yourself, you’ll soon discover that it’s surprisingly easy. I used The Little Veggie Patch boys for guidance as well as the excellent Small Organics Spaces from Josh Byrne.

The recipe is simple as well. First, you grate the zucchini and put it in a colander to de-juice. You really don’t want the grated zucchini to be wet so sprinkle a small amount of salt all over it and wait for the juice to run. Then mix in all the ingredients, enjoy a glass of wine and lick the bowl while the cake is baking.

After the cake cooled I covered it with cream-cheese icing and served it up. My bloke and I loved it. My mother-in-law tolerated it. My daughter thought the icing was delicious and my son thought a few choc chips would’ve made it a ten out of ten eating experience.

Would I make it again? Absolutely.

The recipes in this cookbook are easy to follow and I love that there are sections on cooking ‘themed’ banquets for guests, from Indian to Moroccan and more. I love that the recipes are made for crowds and communities. I also love that there are illustrations rather than styled food pictures - that the women have shared the creation of this book with so many artists giving the book such warmth and generosity.

Highly recommended and I’ll even forgive their use of French.

Chris Gordon