Adding grated vegetables to cake

[Dilbertian]

Can you just grate veg and add to your standard cake recipes, or do you have to tweak the recipes?

I imagine that something like courgette would release a lot of water, which might affect the cake's texture or rise. How would you tweak the recipe - more flour, add baking powder?

What about beetroot, carrot, pumpkin or sweet potato? Can they just be added to a standard all-in-one or creamed sponge, or to brownie mix?

I make a courgette cake, but it’s not a normal Victoria sponge batter - it has cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, and olive oil instead of butter. The courgette does release a lot of water - I just make a thicker batter to allow for that

I use a Victoria sponge recipe but if what I'm adding is juicy, like apple or tinned peaches, I'll add a couple of tablespoons of extra flour. I would only add a little bit for courgette and none for carrot.

I got a bit carried away by the squashes and pumpkins in the supermarket. I've made stuffed and puréed, and am running out of inspiration and vavavoom.

I added finely grated pumpkin (plus a little extra flour and some spices) to a whisked fatless sponge. It came out fine, though TBH the cake mix tasted divine but the baked cake didn't match up to the taste of the cake mix