Chocolate zucchini cake was one of my mom’s dessert standards, especially as we transitioned into packed school lunches in the fall. She liked the cake for many reasons. Despite the lengthy ingredient list, it’s easy to mix together and can be baked in a variety of pans. When topped with powdered sugar instead of a sticky frosting or glaze, it travels well in a lunchbox. Most importantly, much of its moist, tender texture comes from a crop so prolific we might be eating it daily: zucchini.
I’ve now grown zucchini and other summer squash long enough to know that even when planted with restraint and checked regularly throughout the harvest window, at some point in the season, the plants will grow out of control. My mom typically used giant, sometimes baseball bat-sized zucchini in her cake, and her original directions called for removing the huge seeds yet grating in the tough, thickened skin. As a kid, this was always the giveaway that we weren’t eating pure chocolate cake, and it felt like she spoiled dessert by sneaking in a vegetable.
I prefer to grate giant zucchini into quick bread, where its coarse texture becomes less noticeable, or savoy pancakes, where it pleasantly contrasts the smooth batter. For cake, I stick with medium-sized squash that melt into the moist crumb. I also mix in Homemade Vanilla Extract and whichever homemade dairy product happens to be in my fridge on baking day.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Serves 16-20
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sunflower or other neutral oil
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup yogurt, sour cream or cultured buttermilk
1 pound (about three 6- to 8-inch) zucchini, grated (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Up to 2 cups Ganache (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Measure out the yogurt or other dairy. In alternating batches, beat the flour mixture and the yogurt into the butter mixture. Fold in the zucchini.
Butter a 9-by-13 inch baking pan or standard-sized bundt pan. Pour in the batter, smoothing the surface as needed with a spatula. Bake at 325°F for 45 to 50 minutes for a 9-by-13 inch pan and up to one hour for a bundt pan, rotating the pan halfway through. Check for doneness, with sides that begin to pull away from the pan and a middle that is cooked but springy to the touch.
Let cool for at least 15 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar or completely before drizzling with ganache and sprinkling with chopped nuts, as desired.
Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger. Learn more about this month’s dehydrating and freezing workshops at TwiceAsTasty.com.