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Yes, a Stinging Nettle Cake! Boiling the nettles gets rid of the sting, and this cake tastes very spring-like as the flavour of the nettles fades away beneath the zesty lemon. It's a decadent layer cake, made with nettles.

nettle cake

I know what you're thinking: ouch.

But trust me, just put on your rubber gloves and go rummaging in the hedges.

I've long loved developing creative cake recipes with unusual ingredients (hello, Kale Cake).

So I thought I'd take my naturally green cake obsession a little further and try it with nettles. And it works!

Everyone will be shocked when you tell them the cake is full (and I mean FULL) of stinging nettles. But it tastes just like a regular lemon cake.

The flavor of the nettles completely fades away, leaving behind that incredible green color!

stinging nettles

Stinging nettles make a fabulous soup, they're free and they're good for you, properly good for you, and perhaps even better than spinach or broccoli.

Like kale's best friend before kale got popular (grew boobs, lost the braces and announced that "on Wednesdays we wear pink"), stinging nettle has all the makings of your favourite leafy green.

But because the supermarkets don't sell it, and it, well, stings, many haven't tried it.

Funny that as the stuff really gets about. In the spring, stinging nettles are everywhere. Even, for me at least, in nettle cake!

And you'll love it. The lemony cake flavor is very spring-like as the flavour of the nettles fades away beneath the zesty lemon in this nettle cake.

foraging for stinging nettles

If you can't find bags of nettles at your farmer's market, then you can scavenge for your own in the wild!



I'm sure you know where to find nettles, as you only need to look around neighbourhoods, gardens, forests and verges in the spring. It's everywhere!

Obviously though, you'll want to stay away from major roads to avoid pollution on your nettles.

Nettle is best in the early spring so make haste and get foraging, choosing the top four to six leaves (they're more tender).

This recipe calls for 100g or 2 cups packed, which is about a small shopping bag full.

For a detailed description of how to forage nettles, take a look at this nettle guide.

how to stop the sting in stinging nettles

Okay, so you don't want to add raw nettles to a salad. That would hurt your mouth and sting your lips.

But it's actually easy to stop nettles from stinging. You just need to boil them for a few minutes or else pulverise them in a blender.

Boiling the nettles gets rid of the sting, so don't worry that this nettle cake will sting. It absolutely won't.

recipe tips

Often you can find nettles at farmer's markets to save you foraging your own.

If you forage your nettles, choose the top 4 sets of leaves (they're more tender) and be sure to use rubber gloves. Forage away from busy paths, roads and sources of pollution.

If you're struggling to puree the nettles, add the lemon juice at that stage. A stick immersion blender or standard blender work well for pureeing.

Ensure the nettles are pureed completely for the best solid green colour. If you can't puree it fully the cake will still be delicious, but the colour will be more flecks of green than solid green.

I topped the cake with blackberries, but you could top it with any fruit, or just leave it with the simple lemon frosting. Zingy and delicious.

unusual cake recipes

Looking for more unusual cake recipes? Try these!

Kale Blood Orange Cake

Cucumber Cake with Gin Frosting

Kale Apple Cake

Chocolate Beet Cake

stinging nettle cake recipe

Did you make this stinging nettle recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!

Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #veggiedesserts. I love seeing your recreations of my vegetarian and vegan recipes.

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Nettle and Lemon Cake with Lemon Icing and Blackberries Yes, a Stinging Nettle Cake! Boiling the nettles gets rid of the sting, and this cake tastes very spring-like as the flavour of the nettles fades away beneath the zesty lemon. It's a decadent layer cake, made with nettles. 5 from 2 votes Print Pin Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Servings: 10 543 kcal Author: Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts Ingredients For the Nettle and Lemon Cake: 2 cups (100g) packed raw young nettle leaves (use the top 4-6 leaves)

3/4 cup (200g) butter at room temperature

3/4 cup 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

zest and juice of ½ lemon

2 cups (250g) all-purpose (plain) flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt For the Lemon Buttercream: 2/3 cup (150g) butter at room temperature

2 1/2 cups (300g) powdered icing sugar

Zest and juice of ½ a lemon To finish: blackberries optional

lemon zest optional Instructions For the Nettle Cake: Preheat oven to 325F / 170C. Grease and line two 7” round cake tins.

Using rubber gloves, carefully wash the stinging nettle leaves and remove any stems. Place in a pan of boiling water and boil for 3-4 minutes. The sting will be removed with the boiling. Refresh under cold water, drain and puree with a stick blender (note: if you're struggling to puree it, add the lemon juice at this stage). Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the pureed nettles, vanilla, zest and lemon juice.

Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and stir to gently combine.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins, push to the edges and level, then bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tins and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing. For the Lemon Frosting: In a large bowl, cream the butter until fluffy. Add in the icing sugar and beat. Beat in the zest and a little of the lemon juice. Add more lemon juice to make it a frosting consistency and beat again. Store in the fridge until ready to use. To assemble: Spread a little of the buttercream between the layers of the completely cooled cakes and sandwich together. Cover the cake in the remaining buttercream and decorate with blackberries and lemon zest. Recipe Tips Often you can find nettles at farmer's markets to save you foraging your own.

If you forage your nettles, choose the top 4 sets of leaves (they're more tender) and be sure to use rubber gloves. Forage away from busy paths, roads and sources of pollution.

If you're struggling to puree the nettles, add the lemon juice at that stage. A stick immersion blender or standard blender work well for pureeing.

Ensure the nettles are pureed completely for the best solid green colour. If you can't puree it fully the cake will still be delicious, but the colour will be more flecks of green than solid green.

I topped the cake with blackberries, but you could top it with any fruit, or just leave it with the simple lemon frosting. Zingy and delicious. Nutrition Information Calories: 543 kcal Carbohydrates: 65 g Protein: 5 g Fat: 30 g Saturated Fat: 18 g Cholesterol: 124 mg Sodium: 387 mg Potassium: 168 mg Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 45 g Vitamin A: 1147 IU Calcium: 102 mg Iron: 2 mg Tried this recipe? Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.