Tasty Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

When I first experienced Clotilde Dusoulier's wonderful Chocolate and Zucchini website, I thought to myself, "How wonderful, the components of my favorite cake!"

My granny taught me the best ways to bake when I was very young, and later on when I remained in high school she sent us a recipe pulled from Sunset Magazine for Chocolate and Zucchini Cake. Being adventurous, and knowing how excellent zucchini bread tastes, I tried it and it rapidly became my preferred-- the requirement against which all future chocolate cakes were measured.

Throughout the years, I've modified this cake dish slightly from the original. I use more zucchini, and a mix of white and brown sugars. The primary difference of chocolate zucchini cake is its moistness. The zucchini absorbes the cocoa while providing the full flavor of chocolate, but without the heaviness of some other chocolate cakes.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour, unsifted
• 1/2 cup natural, unsweetened cocoa
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup soft butter
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 3 cups coarsely shredded zucchini (from about 1 pound of zucchini).
• 1/2 cup milk.
• 1 cup sliced walnuts or pecans.
• Glaze (instructions follow).

Glaze:.

• 2 cups powdered sugar.
• 3 Tbsp milk.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 ° F. Set the shredded zucchini to drain in a screen over a bowl. If no wetness drains out and the zucchini feels dry, sprinkle some water over it and let the excess drain.

Vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bow, and set aside.

With a mixer, beat together the butter and the sugars until smooth. Include the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a wood spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.

Alternately stir in the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.

Spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan or tube pan lightly with cooking spray (or grease with butter). Rub out the excess. Pour in the batter and use a rubber spatula to level the top of the batter. Bake in the oven for about 50-55 minutes or up until a wooden choice inserted in the center comes out clean (test at 45 min). Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on cake rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze by blending together the glaze components. You can quickly do this by hand with a whisk or a spoon. If the glaze is too runny, add some more powdered sugar. If too thick, include more milk. Drizzle glaze over cake. Cut in thin slices to serve.

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