I am awash in zucchini right now, my vege bin in the fridge is literally groaning under their weight in fact. Which is good, because it is a staple vege in our house and one all three of us really love.
So, I have frozen them, baked them in muffins, made pasta sauce out of them, put them in every stir-fry, sautéed them with WHATEVER we were eating at the time and made bread, but I needed another recipe. This one is a winner. The BEST, most moist and rich cake I have ever personally made, plus you can get part of your 5+ a Day while eating dessert, win!
I found this recipe on the aptly named chocolateandzucchini.com and can recommend it 100%
Chocolate & Zucchini Cake
– 1 1/2 C (180 g) all-purpose flour
– 1/2 C (60 g) whole wheat flour (of course, you can just use 2 C / 240 g all-purpose flour, I was just trying to be good)
– 1/2 C (40 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
– 1 tsp baking soda
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1/2 C (110 g) butter, softened
– 1 C (160 g) light brown sugar
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 tsp instant coffee granules (the Nescafé type, the stronger the better)
– 3 eggs, at room temperature
– 2 C zucchini, unpeeled, grated (about 280 g, two medium)
– 1 C (170 g) chocolate chips
Topping :
– 40 g light brown sugar
– 1/2 C (70 g) hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
(Serves 10.)
Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Grease a 3 quart (3 L) springform cake pan, and flour it or sprinkle with cocoa powder : this is to help the cake unmold easily, especially if you’re not using a magic non-stick pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In your food processor, combine the sugar and butter, and mix until fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and espresso powder, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition.
Spoon in the flour mixture, reserving the last half-cup of it. Mix thoroughly, the batter will be thick.
Add the grated zucchini and the chocolate chips to the reserved flour mixture, and toss to coat. Fold in the batter, and blend thoroughly, it’s fun. Pour into the prepared cake pan, and flatten the surface with a spatula.
In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients, and sprinkle all over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Turn out on a rack to cool for half an hour, then unmould.
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