Cucumber Cake

Name: Cucumber Cake, Indian-Style
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 24 slices
Ingredients: 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour; 1 cup rice flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 tsp powdered cardamom; 3/4 cup cashews ((lightly toasted)); 2 cups coconut sugar ((or very finely grated jaggery)); 3 tbsp flaxmeal ((whisked together with 9 tbsp water)); 1/2 cup applesauce; 1/2 cup coconut milk; 4 tbsp coconut oil; 2 cucumbers ((approx. 2 1/2 cups, grated. English cucumbers, with very tiny seeds, are the easiest to use here, but if you use another kind with large seeds, be sure to deseed first))

By Vaishali | Updated on August 2, 2019 | Posted on August 2, 2019 | 40 Comments

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A sumptuous and even healthy Cucumber Cake with the scent of cardamom and made with whole wheat and coconut sugar. A low-fat, vegan, soy-free recipe.

It’s sweltering here in the northeast, and in most of the country. But nothing reminds you better than a cucumber (or a water melon) that summer is the best time of year to be a veggie lover.

I’ve been slicing them into pitchers of water, chopping them up into salads and raitas, and just cutting them into spears and eating them with a dash of salt and cayenne rubbed into their centers, the way they are sold by street vendors in Bombay.

I grow my own cucumbers most summers, but this year is not one of those — seeds I planted simply didn’t take off, for some reason. But the markets are overflowing with these delicious green veggies, and I was dying to make a cucumber cake.

In the India I grew up in, ovens were a rarity and cakes were a treat strictly bought from the bakery. The only people I knew who had an actual oven were my cousins, whose father, my uncle, insisted they get degrees in home science because he didn’t think they were good for anything more than learning to cook and keep house so they could find decent husbands (they were — one of them is a professor now).

Another kind of “oven” some adventurous cooks had was an aluminum contraption that looked like a tube pan with a lid. In the bottom was a compartment that held sand. The “oven” was placed on a stove and the flame heated the sand which in turn baked the cake.

My mom had one of those contraptions, and she would sometimes bake this cucumber cake, called Tausali, in it.

Tausali is a rather spare yet sumptuous cake from India’s Konkan region– my dad’s native land. It contains the classic triumvirate of homemade Indian sweets: jaggery (an unrefined Indian sugar not unlike piloncillo), coconut, and cardamom. It is usually made with rice flour and semolina or sooji farina, sometimes ghee, and — of course– cucumber. There are no leaveners here, like baking soda or baking powder.

The ingredients are all mixed up and baked in that little stovetop oven. The resulting cake is dense but tender and incredibly flavorful.

My Lowfat Cucumber Cake is not Tausali– I adapted it to make it more cake-like than Tausali by using flour instead of semolina, and I did add some baking soda and baking powder to help the cake rise. I used coconut sugar as a natural sweetener, and I used coconut milk instead of fresh coconut, just for a smoother texture. I also used coconut oil instead of ghee.

To stay true to the fresh-from-the-tube-pan look of a Tausali, but to make it prettier, I baked my Cucumber Cake in a bundt pan.

The cake is delicious. The coconut sugar gives it a deep richness, and the cardamom is just perfect with the cucumber.

This is also a very healthy cake. There is very little fat in the recipe, and it incorporates brown rice flour and whole-wheat flour — and, of course, a veggie.

And yes, it all sounds too good but it’s also true. Not too many things you can say that about.

Did you say this cucumber cake is naturally sweetened and low in fat — and healthy?

Yes, traditionally this cake is made with jaggery, which is an unrefined and rather good-for-you sugar. But since not everyone has access to jaggery here in the United States, I made my cake with coconut sugar, which is also unrefined and has a flavor that’s close to jaggery.

You can always use regular brown sugar, if you can’t find coconut sugar either, or white sugar with a tablespoonful of molasses.

And there’s just 1/4 cup of coconut oil in this cucumber cake, which makes it very, very low in fat compared to other cakes, and since coconut fat has some healthful properties of its own, the oil enhances the healthfulness.

A slice of the cake has only 165 calories, which is amazing. You may not want to stop at a slice, though.

***

Looking for more vegan cake recipes?

Vegan Zucchini Bread

Gluten Free Vegan Skillet Cornbread Cake

Vegan Strawberry Bread

Vegan Carrot Bundt Cake with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting

Vegan Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Streusel

***

Cucumber Cake Recipe

Vegan | Wholegrain | Low-fat | Soy-free

A close up shot of three slices of vegan cucumber cake

Print Recipe

4.75 from 8 votes

Cucumber Cake, Indian-Style

A delicious, low-fat Cucumber Cake made with fresh cucumbers, whole wheat, cashews and coconut sugar. This cake is based on an Indian cake made by people on the Konkan coast, called Tausali or Tavsali.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Servings: slices

Calories: 165

Author: Vaishali

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp powdered cardamom
3/4 cup cashews (lightly toasted)

Wet ingredients:

2 cups coconut sugar (or very finely grated jaggery)
3 tbsp flaxmeal (whisked together with 9 tbsp water)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup coconut milk
4 tbsp coconut oil
2 cucumbers (approx. 2 1/2 cups, grated. English cucumbers, with very tiny seeds, are the easiest to use here, but if you use another kind with large seeds, be sure to deseed first)

Instructions

Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
In a large bowl, mix all of the wet ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until everything comes together. Pour the batter into a bundt pan and smooth the top.
Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Unmold 10 minutes after removing from the oven. Cool thoroughly on a rack, then slice and enjoy!

Nutrition

About Vaishali

I cook and eat simple, tasty and nutritious plant-based food in my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. Follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram, and read more about me here.

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Comments

Richa says
July 17, 2012 at
wow.. the cake looks amazing! we have a tiny balcony and have been getting a good supply of spinach and herbs! i can imagine the abundant cucumbers in your larger garden:)
doesnt the cucumber make the cake too soggy because of the extra moisture it leaks during baking?
Reply
- Vaishali says
  July 18, 2012 at
  No, the moisture actually helps keep the cake moist. You’d normally add some liquid to a cake anyway.
  Reply
Chitra Vivek says
July 17, 2012 at
Love love and love it.Question: Can I substitute Jaggery with Sugar and what will be the sub for Apple sauce. I have all other ingredients at home:)
Reply
- Vaishali says
  July 18, 2012 at
  Chitra, leave out the apple sauce and substitute with more cucumber.
  Reply
Manasi says
July 17, 2012 at
Oh my! cucumber in a cake! Who would have thunk!
Looks gorgeous.
Jaggery and cardamom, wah, kya jodi hai!
Reply
jan says
July 17, 2012 at
looks nice. I never had tausala. Will definatly make this. Can I use zucchini than cucumber, as I have big zucchini at home now.
Hope Lucy is doing great!
Reply
- Vaishali says
  July 18, 2012 at
  Yes, you can definitely substitute with zucchini. You might want to follow my low-fat zucchini bread recipe– bake as a bundt cake instead of using loaf pans, and adjust baking temperature and time per the cucumber cake recipe. https://holycowvegan.net/2009/06/low-fat-zucchini-bread.html
  Reply
Usha says
July 18, 2012 at
Ooh this cake looks so, so delicious, love the use of jaggery in this cake. This goes directly into my must try list 🙂
Reply
Tina says
July 18, 2012 at
Gr8 idea dear..Cake looks soft and delicious..
Reply
Sowmya Karthy says
July 18, 2012 at
Would love to try this… what a nice way to eat healthier… Can i bake this in a 9 inch cake pan or a 8 inch square pan? i do not have a bundt pan?
sowmya
http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/
Reply
- Vaishali says
  July 18, 2012 at
  Sowmya, sure, but you would need two pans. Divide the batter in half for each pan. You can also use a loaf pan and start checking to see if the cake is done after about 30-35 minutes.
  Reply
Jane says
July 18, 2012 at
Recipe looks great – I’ve been after trying more vegetable cakes recently. I think I’m going to try it with a lime flavoured icing!
Reply
Priya says
July 18, 2012 at
Wat a gorgeous cake,never thought of making cakes with cucumber, beautifully done.
Reply
Minnie(@thelady8home) says
July 18, 2012 at
That cake do look too delicious. Feel like taking a bite!
Reply
glutenfreehappytummy.com says
July 18, 2012 at
how creative! gorgeous!!
Reply
cumincoriandercardamom says
July 18, 2012 at
We used to make cakes with putting sand in pressure cookers 🙂
Reply
Poornima Nair says
July 19, 2012 at
What an awesome cake Vaishali! Love everything in it! Bookmarked to try.
Reply
Spice up the Curry says
July 20, 2012 at
I would love to give it a try.. recipe sounds amazing
Reply
chennaispice says
July 20, 2012 at
I’ve never come across a cake with cucumber in it. Perfect for the summer.
Reply
Mints! says
August 25, 2012 at

I just tried this with cucumbers from backyard. Oh so tasty! All the flavors have just came together perfectly. I did not have rice flour so added 1 cup of fine rava. I did not have applesauce so added same amount of grated cucumber. I mixed grated cucumbers and jaggery together and set it aside so jaggery melted nicely in it 😉
Such a keeper recipe.
Reply
- Vaishali says
  August 28, 2012 at
  Mints, so happy you tried it. Thanks for the feedback– adding rava is perfect because there is rava in the original tausali.
  Reply
Anonymous says
October 15, 2012 at
thanks for sharing...
Reply
Cassia says
April 29, 2013 at
I don’t have brown rice flour. Can I add more all purpose?
Reply
- Vaishali says
  May 2, 2013 at
  Cassia, yes, but the texture won’t be the same.
  Reply
Anonymous says
May 1, 2013 at
What about the liquid that come out while grating cucumber?am i supposed to leave that? Or should i add that too?
Reply
- Vaishali says
  May 2, 2013 at
  Add the liquid.
  Reply
narf77 says
August 23, 2014 at
Another fantastic cake to add to my growing list of “Holy Cow!” gorgeousness. Cheers for this wonderful recipe. I am planning on growing a lot of cucumbers this year in our veggie garden and am growing them vertically this year as that is supposed to make them produce more fruit. I can’t wait to give this unique and promising recipe a go. Cheers for sharing it 🙂
Reply
- Vaishali Honawar says
  August 25, 2014 at
  Thanks, narf77. I usually let them climb up a trellis and they produce tons of fruit. I wish I had planted cucumbers this year.
  Reply
Priscilla says
August 13, 2016 at

I made your cake tonight. Turned out great! I subbed some cinnamon and ginger for part of the cardamom, and I added a vegan cream cheese/coconut milk frosting. Love the subtle taste of the cucumber. Thanks for the unique recipe. I really needed to use up some cucumbers from the garden, so this helped a bit.
Reply
- Vaishali says
  August 2, 2019 at
  So great to hear!
  Reply
Kate says
October 4, 2017 at

Hello Vaishali
I love your site, found while seeking inspiration for our next Vegan Baking Club, with the theme Asian Flavours. For the cucumber cake, please could you clarify what you mean by grated coconut. In the UK we bake with something called dessicated coconut which is finely grated, much less than half a grain of rice in size, quite a dry ingredient but probably soaks up moisture in the recipe. Should I be grating fresh coconut in which case, how fine. Would it matter if I omitted coconut altogether and if so what should I substitute for it. I have concerns about captive monkeys being used to pick the nuts and now try not to use it if possible. I am also going to make Gulab Jamin, can’t wait.
Reply
- Vaishali says
  October 4, 2017 at
  Hi Kate, Here in the U.S. I buy unsweetened coconut in the supermarket or at the Indian grocery store, but you can certainly grate your own. You can also just try using dessicated coconut– there’s a lot of moisture in the recipe because of the cucumbers so it probably wouldn’t greatly affect the texture. I wouldn’t omit it because it would change the flavor.
  Reply
  - Kate says
    October 4, 2017 at
    
    Great, thank you I’ll use dessicated coconut.
    Do I need to peel the cucumber, I have made cakes with unpeeled courgettes before and they seemed fine. What do you recommend please.
    Reply
    - Vaishali says
      October 4, 2017 at
      No need to peel! I never do. 🙂
      Reply
Anonymous says
October 27, 2018 at
hi Vaishali,
We dont get brown rice powder here. can i use white rice flour or any substitute to this
Reply
- Vaishali says
  August 2, 2019 at
  White rice flour is fine!
  Reply
Manisha Kanojia says
August 2, 2019 at
WOW first time saw a Cucumber Cake recipe instead of Whole wheat flour can I use Rajgira/Amaranth flour +Rava ,I have not baked much n never Cakes😅so little nervous but want to try this one,its so right n light for Mumbai Weather…Thank you fir this Recipe🙏🌺
Reply
- Vaishali says
  August 2, 2019 at
  Hi Manisha, you can try it with amaranth flour, but I can’t vouch that your cake will hold together in the absence of gluten. If you do, try baking it in a regular cake pan instead of a bundt, which might make unmolding easier.
  Reply
  - Manisha Kanojia says
    August 5, 2019 at
    Thank you so whole wheat is needed n Rava in place of Rice flour I read other comments n your answers too…TY🌺
    Reply
Radhovan says
August 3, 2019 at

Hello Vaishali,
I joined your blog a few days ago and I already like your recipes. This cucumber cake looks and sounds fantastic and I look forward to making it. I love using “ghor” (jaggery) in cooking, and even eating a little piece by itself once in a while!
By the way, the additional family history and explanation about ovens, or lack thereof, was very special and really makes your blog special.
Regards,
Radhovan 🙂
Reply