Zucchini season is upon us. Zucchini, also known as summer squash are high in several minerals, and many vitamins including five different B vitamins, vitamin C and K. The skin of a zucchini is 2 – 10 times higher in beneficial carotenoids, so by all means eat with the skin on, especially if they are from your garden or a neighbor’s garden that does not use chemical spray. Zucchini is a good source of fiber at 2.5 grams per cup. Surprisingly zucchini contains omega 3 essential oil.
Chocolate zucchini cake is very moist and delicious. It is always a fall favourite with fresh zucchini in season. I remember the first time I tasted a chocolate zucchini cake, and what a surprise it was to have a cake that had such a rich texture. The fat is the cake is from healthy olive oil, or safflower oil and butter which has beneficial nutrients. You could also use canola oil for all or part of the fat. Something new in the sugar department is coconut sugar. You buy it at health food stores or Nutters. The main benefit of coconut sugar as reported on the Dr. Oz show is that coconut sugar, unlike white sugar does not lead to fluctuating blood sugar levels. Coconut sugar is not white, but rather more like brown sugar with a wonderful caramel flavour. It is really nice with oatmeal. I use white unbleached flour for this cake, but you could experiment with using part whole wheat or whole barley flour. When you grate the zucchini, leave the peel on if you are using young zucchini. If the zucchini is older with a tougher skin, then peel the skin away before grating. If you pick the zucchini after a good rain, it will be very moist, so that the grated zucchini in your hands and squeeze out the water. The refreshing taste of grated zucchini has got me thinking that I need to start working on a zucchini salad recipe now that this chocolate zucchini cake is perfected. You can ice it with chocolate icing, or a chocolate cream cheese icing. A regular cream cheese icing would be great as well.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups hot water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups unbleached flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups shredded zucchini
Butter a 9 x 13 cake pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl beat the eggs until creamy and frothy. Add in the sugar by the 1/2 cups, and beat until soft peaks. Stir in the flour, vanilla, cocoa powder and baking powder. Pour in the hot water, vanilla, butter melted into it, and the oil Liquid) into the batter, a 1/2 cup at a time, beating it into the batter. Stir in the chopped zucchini. Pour into the buttered cake pan and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in comes out clean.