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Home » Cake

Naturally Green Cakes for St Patrick's Day

Published: Mar 10, 2015 · Modified: Jun 21, 2019 by Kate Hackworthy · 21 Comments

These naturally green cakes use vegetables for the colour instead of food dyes!
Naturally Green Vegetable Cakes | VeggieDesserts Blog
Pictured recipes (clockwise from main picture):
Kale and Orange Cupcakes with Orange Icing
Stinging Nettle and Lemon Cake with Lemon Icing and Blackberries
Cucumber and Mint Cupcakes with Rose Water Buttercream
Kale and Apple Cake with Apple Icing
Pea and Vanilla Cake with Lemon Icing and Pea Shoots
Spinach and Coconut Yogurt Cake

St Patrick's Day is massive in North America. When I was growing up in Canada, mid-March was awash with green beer, green-dyed party foods like devilled eggs, green bread and plenty of green cakes. But they were dyed with huge amounts of chemical food dyes. That stuff can't be good for anyone. Particularly people drunk on green beer and their yearly pint of Guinness.

How else to celebrate without donning a giant leprechaun hat and filling yourself with dye? Colour your cakes naturally, with kale, spinach and cucumber.

I've been adding vegetables to my cakes for years. Like in carrot cake, you can't actually taste the vegetable, but they mean that you can add less fat and sugar. And the added moisture from the vegetables means that they last for ages. With no dodgy preservatives, vegetable cakes can easily last a week without drying out. Plus, those veg leave behind some extra nutrients in the cake, so you can appease your dessert guilt by fooling yourself that it's a portion of veg.

Where to start with your naturally green vegetable cake adventures? How about this Kale and Apple Cake with Apple Icing. My sister has made it half a dozen times on her boyfriend's request (fiancee, actually. Seriously, engaged for more than two years? Sort it out!) and I've had many many readers write to me about how much they've enjoyed it. This is my most popular recipe on the blog. You can't taste the kale, the cake is wonderfully moist and isn't sickly sweet. For the icing, I lightened the usual buttercream by replacing much of the butter with applesauce to give it structure and flavour without being heavy.

Kale Apple Cake

Happy St Patrick's Day and happy vegetable cake making!

Follow my new Veggie Desserts facebook page for vegetable desserts, healthy living tips and a love of veg.

What are you planning for St Patricks Day? Leave me a comment. Sláinte!

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Tarin Lindsey

    May 15, 2015 at 6:26 pm

    Wow! This blog is fantastic and I like cake recipe. The pictures of your natural green cakes recipe look very delicious, it attracts me. I also love your other fresh and healthy recipes. Perfect for healthy eating and diet. Can't wait to taste it and share it with my friends . I feel the excitement now. This is a nice service, indeed. Thanks for sharing your recipes. Perfect for Patrick's Day, Excellent!

    Reply
  2. Kate Hackworthy

    March 16, 2015 at 8:49 pm

    Hi Marlene,
    Thanks so much for getting in contact. I'm really sorry but I can't give permission for you to publish my recipe. I often give permission for one image and a link to my site for the recipe, but don't allow full recipe publishing. I hope you'll understand that if I let my recipes be published by others, then I won't get the traffic to my site for all of my hours of testing, photographing and recipe development!
    Thanks for thinking of my recipe and have a lovely St Patrick's Day.
    All the best,
    Kate

    Reply
  3. kellie anderson

    March 16, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    What a fantastic collection! You are the queen of green! Sharing widely. 🙂

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      March 16, 2015 at 8:46 pm

      Ha - that should be my new moniker: Queen of Green. Very apt! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Cooksister

    March 16, 2015 at 9:16 am

    Wow - what an impressively green selection! Love the sound of the cucumber and mint cupcakes - and of course your apple and kale cake (mmmm, apple icing...!)

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      March 16, 2015 at 8:46 pm

      I need to make the cucumber ones again soon - very gin-like!

      Reply
  5. Sally

    March 16, 2015 at 5:44 am

    I've been off green cakes ever since my sister made an Emperor Ming cake when we were little - even the birds refused to eat it. I think it's the artificial green as you say - I can't find it appetising (or red velvet). These green cakes are just the opposite and the kale and apple cake looks so utterly appealing that it's bookmarked for making very soon. Delish.

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      March 16, 2015 at 8:46 pm

      I hope you enjoy them more than the Emperor Ming cake, Sally!

      Reply
  6. Kavey Eats

    March 15, 2015 at 5:52 pm

    Oh yes, great idea for St Patrick's day, lovely natural colours too.

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      March 15, 2015 at 8:14 pm

      Thanks Kavey - perfect for St Patrick's Day indeed!

      Reply
  7. shockinglydelicious

    March 15, 2015 at 4:41 pm

    Wonderful, as always! Just pinned to the St. Patrick's Day -- naturally green board.

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      March 15, 2015 at 8:04 pm

      Thanks for pinning it!

      Reply
  8. eat good 4 life

    March 13, 2015 at 1:43 pm

    This is just incredible. How original and unique recipes. These are totally up my alley. I love them all 🙂

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      March 15, 2015 at 4:34 pm

      Aw thanks! I hope you get the chance to give some a try!

      Reply
  9. wickedspatula

    March 13, 2015 at 12:10 am

    Those kale cupcakes look awesome!

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      March 15, 2015 at 4:33 pm

      So green! And taste great, too 🙂

      Reply
  10. Fiver Feeds

    March 12, 2015 at 2:08 am

    This post came just in time. Happy St Patrick's Day!

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      March 15, 2015 at 4:33 pm

      And happy St Patrick's to you! Slainte!

      Reply
  11. superfitbabe

    March 10, 2015 at 3:07 pm

    These all look so delectable!!!

    Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      March 11, 2015 at 11:03 pm

      They are! I hope you get the chance to try one 🙂

      Reply
    • Kate Hackworthy

      March 15, 2015 at 4:31 pm

      Thanks - I hope you get the chance to try one!

      Reply

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