Green with envy-- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Sunday, September 9, 2007 at 01:19PM It’s the time of year where zucchini plants have overgrown and taken over people’s gardens. The overzealous vine, not knowing when to quit, often produces over-sized gourds that leaves us perplexed and wondering just how much of this green monster we can consume.
Even the most enthusiastic zucchini fan would be hard pressed to eat the rather bland vegetable every night, but there is hope!
Luckily, its bland taste and high moisture content lends itself well to other uses besides meal-time dishes.
Zucchinis are a versatile veggie that can be used in baking, and the following treat is an excellent example.
Moist and dense like brownies, this chocolate zucchini cake was one of my favourite childhood treats. My younger sister, a famously picky eater, refused to eat it because she could still see flecks of green in the cake. But I was converted. It was still rich and chocolaty, and satisfied my sweet tooth.
As an adult, there are entirely other reasons to love this dessert. It’s filled with fibre, is relatively low in fat and can be whipped together quickly. Not to mention, it does a good job of using up one of those oversized zucchini’s taking two whole cups of the grated green. And I think I get a bit of a thrill out of getting people to really enjoy something “good for them.”
I’ve adapted it from a recipe on epicurious, and it’s now even healthier than the original. Yet, when I brought some into work, a colleague commented: “I might have to change my opinion of zucchini.” Now that’s the best endorsement this cake could get.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
(adapted from a recipe on Epicurious.com)
2 ¼ cup of all purpose flour
¾ cup of cocoa
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup of sugar
½ cup of butter
2 eggs
½ cup of apple butter
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup of buttermilk
2 cups of grated zucchini
1 cup of chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts (optional)
Sift together first four ingredients.
In a separate bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Add in eggs, one at a time. Stir in apple butter and vanilla to mixture. Add in half of dry mixture, stirring well. Add half of buttermilk, and continue alternating dry mixture and buttermilk until well blended. Mix in zucchini, chocolate chips.
Grease and flour a 9 by 13” pan. Pour mixture into pan and bake at 325F for 30 to 35 min., or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Reader Comments (2)
What is apple butter
Apple butter is a condiment, like a jam, only made with apples.
I buy mine from Mennonites in St. Jacob's, Ontario, where they take apples and cook them down until they are a thick paste.
It's a great ingredient for reducing the fat in your baking, as it is very moist.