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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Much as I hate to admit it, chocolate is my weakness.  Not just any chocolate...Something worth wasting calories to eat!  So hiding vegetables in a tasty chocolate cake seemed like a good idea to me.  You know...less guilt!

When I find a good recipe, I make as many changes as I can to make it more healthy without compromising the taste and texture.  Like using sucanat/rapadura instead of brown sugar, evap cane juice instead of refined white sugar, coconut oil, homemade buttermilk or yogurt, free-range eggs, sifted wheat flour w/ bran (a nice substitute for whole wheat and much better than refined white flour, dutch cocoa, organic chocolate chips. 

There's zucchini in there but unless you look hard, you'll never know it!

Here's the recipe as it was given to me years ago...you can make the above substitutions, or ones of your own, if you like.

Cream together:
1/2 cup oil
1 C Brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
1/2 stick butter

Add:
3 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 C buttermilk

Stir in:
3-1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp soda
4 Tbsp cocoa

Then add:
2 C grated zucchini

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan

Sprinkle over top:
1 C chocolate chips
1 C chopped pecans or walnuts


Bake @ 325° for 45 minutes.

It's so yummy they'll never know they're eating veggies, too!

Funny Story...Early in our married life, I asked my sister-in-law to join us for dinner.  For dessert, I served her a generous piece of Chocolate Zucchini Cake.  She really enjoyed it and commented over and over how moist it was.  About half way through the piece of cake, she realized I wasn't getting the hint and asked me straight out how I made the cake so moist.  I told her the zucchini probably helped with that.  She immediately got this horrified look on her face and asked if I was serious.  I assured her that I was...then she pushed her plate away and wouldn't eat another bite!  I didn't know she didn't like zucchini...she's not a big veggie eater at all.  But for several bites she thought she'd died and gone to heaven!  If I hadn't told her, she never would have guessed!  Sometimes, it's all in your head!

I'm sharing this link with some friends @
Alphabe-Thursdays
Hidden Veggies Party
Hearth and Soul Blog Hop
Feasting in Fellowship Friday
Pennywise Platter Thursday

Much herbal love,

14 comments:

  1. That is such a funny story! I make a zucchini brownie, so I'm certainly going to try this cake!

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  2. Sounds yummy! I've made zucchini bread before but never with chocolate...I'm going to give it a try. Your funny story reminds me of the time I made garlic cheese bread for a family gathering. The cheese and garlic is mixed with mayonnaise, smeared on the bread on put under the broiler. My niece had eaten three or four pieces when she asked me how I made it. When I told her it had mayo in it she spit it out and said heating up mayo would make everyone sick. I told her she was in real trouble because she'd eaten more than anybody:-) BTW no one got sick:-)

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  3. @Patti BeeThanks for visiting, Patti! Aren't people funny! I have a mayo story, too. Funny thing is, it's involves the same person! Let me know how you like the cake.

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  4. Yummy post!

    Have a great weekend too,

    XOXO LOLA:)

    Alphabe-Thursday

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  5. It is all in the head most of the time! When I decided to eat healthier I noticed that I no longer liked things like Doritos. What? That has to be in my head:)

    Erika
    Artful Rising

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  6. I think it's funny that she didn't like it anymore once she found out about the zucchini!

    Good is good, right? Period.

    ;)

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  7. Ha! I'm just the opposite -- love the zucchini, not so much the chocolate!
    I'll have to try this recipe though! Funny about your SIL! (And a fun Z!)

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  8. Wow that sounds yummy and that was a funny story!

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  9. Like both chocolate and zuchhini, so it would be a great cake for me. Don't tell me though when you serve me mouse, frog, ants or something else of that nature:):)

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  10. I swore that if I opened one more too yummy idea I'd have to go get a snack..really, this is awesome, and I am thinking of coping and giving it to my daughter to try...thanks for sending me back to the kitchen, okay then?! have a great week!

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  11. I don't think I have ever even used chocolate and zucchini in the same sentence, but this looks and sounds downright delicious!!!

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  12. I can't believe she wouldn't continue eating it? That is crazy! I love chocolate zucchini cake. We will have to try this recipe!
    Dana

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  13. It sounds like it was definitely her loss!

    And I love all your suggested substitutes. I have quite a few of those on hand already.

    I am making pumpkin custards for dinner tonight (I like the bars and pie better but it's a good swap out to save using too much gluten and/or sweetener). I'll save your recipe with the substitutes for when we have some company coming!

    Thanks for sharing this zingy recipe with us.

    A+

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  14. Hello.
    Like you, chocolate is also my weakness, but I don't consume too much of it because I have to watch my blood sugars.

    Someone gave me zucchini banana bread at work & it was moist & delicious. You couldn't tell there was zucchini in it. My wife makes banana bread with grated carrots instead of the zucchini. Although chocolate & zucchini do indeed sound like an odd couple, the cake sounds yummy.

    I had to laugh at the sister-in-law part too!

    Fun post.
    Thanks for sharing.

    The Evening Zephyr

    ReplyDelete

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