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Chocolate zucchini cake?! That’s crazy talk. I never thought it would be any good, but I made it anyway.
So, let’s talk about how wrong I was about how it wouldn’t be any good. Because it was amazing.
I’m still working my way through the world’s largest zucchini. And I like chocolate. I saw the recipe and thought maybe it would be worth a shot.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
adapted from Simply Recipes
adapted from Simply Recipes
for the cake:
- 2-1/2 cups unbleached white whole wheat flour, unsifted
- 1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
- 2-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup soft butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- zest of 1 large orange
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)
- 2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini (about 2 small/medium zucchini)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans) (optional)
for the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 10-inch tube pan (or bundt pan) and dust lightly with flour.
Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
With a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange zest, espresso powder, and zucchini.
Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the over for about 50 minutes (I tested it at 45 minutes), or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert and turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze, mix together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then drizzle over the cake. Cut in thin slices to serve.
It is a fluffy but fudgy type cake. Sweet, but not extremely sweet and was a great use of my zucchini. The advantage of the grated zucchini is the added moistness, allowing you to reduce the overall amount of butter. There is no way you can taste the zucchini. Plus, you get a vegetable serving in every slice…don’t you? No matter what, it was scrumptious. And the Viper Pilot thought so too. <– best part.
When you make this cake, be sure to do it when you’re having company over. Because I’m pretty sure I will be eating at least two pieces a day until it’s gone, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, but well…let’s just say I don’t need to wear it around my waist either…
It’s just too good not to share! 😉
ENJOY!