Scarpaccia viareggina - Italian courgette cake

Scarpaccia viareggina is a traditional cake from the little seaside town of Viareggio, in Tuscany. The term scarpaccia literally means 'old, ugly shoe' and its name is very likely due to the fact that this cake has the same thickness of an old shoe sole! Don’t worry though… it doesn’t taste like one!

This courgette cake is not too sweet and it is moist and soft thanks to the thinly sliced courgettes that enrich a simple batter made of flour, eggs, milk, sugar and extra virgin olive oil. The addition of a few leaves of fresh basil makes this cake even more aromatic and perfect for summer.

Scarpaccia was traditionally baked during courgette season by old sailors using the vegetables of their garden, but nowadays you can eat it all year round in Viareggio. It is a very unusual dessert in Italy, where courgettes are not usually used for baking cakes, and it tastes delicious!