Growing up I absolutely hated zucchini. Well, probably many veggies if we are going to be honest. Poor veggies! It wasn't their fault. My mom only knew how to serve veggies one way--cooked.....no, worse yet, over-cooked. YUCK! And thus the mere idea of zucchini being in something yummy like bread, muffins, or cake was an absolute turn-off and I would not take even a nibble. Lettuce may have been the only veggie I had that was not cooked before served to us. Fast forward to college and beyond and slowly I was exposed to raw veggies and steamed veggies. The veggie world began to open to me. Gosh my kids are so lucky! At least I think so. The most heat zucchini sees around our house is an extreme short steam or toss through an already cooked meal. No, I take that back. It does go into things where it absorbs the flavor of the other items it is cooked into such as lasagne, cake, bread, muffins, and the like where you do not taste the cooked zucchini. My kids actually like raw zucchini.......and so do I.
You do not have to like zucchini to like this recipe! Besides being chocolate you get an added bonus.........you are getting a cake chocked full of veggies! YEAH!
This cake has great moistness. The zucchini absorbes the cocoa delivering the full flavor of chocoate, but without heaviness.
If you've been too afraid and/or sitting on the fence trying to decide if you should or shouldn't, it's time to jump in. Give it a try!! You'll be glad you did!
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; unsifted |
1/2 cup cocoa |
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder |
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda |
1 teaspoon salt |
1 teaspoon cinnamon |
3/4 cup soft butter |
2 cups sugar |
3 eggs |
2 teaspoons vanilla |
2 teaspoons orange peel; grated |
2 cups zucchini; seeded and coarsely shredded |
1/2 cup milk |
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional) |
Glaze |
Preheat the oven to 350F.
1) Combine the four, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
2) With a mixer, beat together the butter and the 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 peel, and zucchini.
3) Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.
4) Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.
5) Drizzle glaze over cake.
Glaze:
Mix together
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat until smooth.
1) Combine the four, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
2) With a mixer, beat together the butter and the 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 peel, and zucchini.
3) Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.
4) Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.
5) Drizzle glaze over cake.
Glaze:
Mix together
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat until smooth.
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