The baked zucchini cake is a real delight, especially thanks to the filling of melting cheese that makes it uniquely delicious. It is a vegetarian main course prepared with only three ingredients, combining both main and side dish into one, very easy to make and can be served warm or cold, perfect as a takeaway dish, to enjoy in your free time. The baked zucchini cake contains neither eggs nor gluten; additionally, we can use lactose-free cheeses to fill it.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven, Grill
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs grilled zucchini
- 7 oz semi-matured provolone cheese
- 1.8 oz Pecorino Romano cheese
Tools
- 1 Baking dish
Steps
To make our rich and super delicious cake, get a baking dish (aluminum, steel, glass, porcelain) that is 8 x 8 inches.
Wash the zucchini, remove spoiled or inedible parts and cut them into slices about 1/8 inch thick. It’s better not to cut them too thin, as the slices may break during grilling and burn too much on the grill; also, it benefits the texture, as they won’t become mushy.
In my case, the zucchini were long; to slice them without problems, I cut them in half.
As soon as the slices are grilled to the right point on both sides, transfer them one by one to a rack to lose excess residual moisture.
Do not season or salt the grilled zucchini, as they will absorb saltiness from the cheeses during cooking.
Once all the zucchini are grilled, slice the semi-matured provolone cheese very thinly (or Emmental, etc…).
It is preferable to use a semi-matured melting cheese to avoid releasing too much liquid during cooking (like mozzarella, fresh provolone, fior di latte, etc…), as zucchini are already a water-rich vegetable.
Line the baking dish with parchment paper.
Place a first horizontal layer of slightly overlapping zucchini slices on the bottom of the dish.
Cover them with plenty of sliced provolone and a generous tablespoon of Pecorino Romano.
Make a second layer, without pressing the one underneath, placing the eggplant slices vertically this time (as you do for tiramisu), always slightly overlapping, and again provolone, Pecorino, and so on until all ingredients are used up.
Transfer the baking dish to the oven, in the middle rack, turn it on, and bring it to 350°F, letting it cook just enough to melt the cheese and blend the flavors (there is no need to preheat the oven).
The baked zucchini cake is ready and delicious both hot and cold, I assure you.
