Zucchini is a garden favourite — it's relatively easy to grow and can often yield a true bumper crop. But gardeners (and frankly, the friends and family of gardeners) often wonder what to do with all of their zucchini once they're in season. Since one can only make so many zucchini fritters and baked zucchini side dishes, many people turn to making baked goods out of the ubiquitous squash. There are plenty of recipes out there for delicious zucchini breads and muffins. This recipe adds a little chocolate to the mix.
This cake recipe isn't just ideal for those experiencing a surplus at the height of zucchini season — it's also a great way to sneak an extra serving of veggies into a picky child's (or a picky adult's) diet. There's a full two cups of zucchini in this cake, which not only adds amazing moisture to the dish, but also packs in some extra vitamins. Look for other desserts with carrots or sweet potatoes (or even beets!) in them to expand on this theme.
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute homemade sour milk. Just add one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of regular milk and add the amount the recipe requires. This recipe can also be modified to employ different flavours. For example, try omitting the cloves and cinnamon and using mint chocolate chips or butterscotch chips in place of the regular chips.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (i.e. canola)
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 4 tbsp cocoa
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cream butter, oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk in a stand mixer. Mix until well combined.
- Combine dry ingredients (flour through to cloves) in a separate bowl. Sift together with a whisk. With mixer running, slowly add to creamed ingredients.
- Add zucchini and chocolate chips to other ingredients. Stir until combined.
- Bake in a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch cake pan at 375F for 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
There's no need to ice this cake, but it is nice with a dusting of icing sugar on top. It's delicious served warm out of the oven (while the chocolate chips are still gooey), but is also great at room temperature.
