BY: EARTHA LOWE
Beautiful, rich, chocolatey! Zucchini’s natural sweetness, mellow flavour, and high moisture content make it an ideal fruit to bake this majorly rich chocolate cake with.
Zucchini (also called courgette), is a fast-growing fruit that is treated as a vegetable in most kitchens I know of. Zucchini is available on the market in yellow, light green or dark green colours. The dark green skin of zucchini may be naturally striped or speckled. The shape of a zucchini resembles that of a ridged cucumber and features numerous soft, young seeds. Some cultivators also produce zucchini in rounded shapes.
It might also interest you to know that zucchini is a type of summer squash that belongs to a family of plants (Cucurbitaceae); relatives of winter squash (including pumpkins), melons (including watermelon), and even cucumbers. But summer squash are typically much more delicate and are more often eaten fresh and shortly after harvest which is between May and July. Regardless of variety, almost all parts of zucchini are edible, including its soft shell and creamy white flesh, seeds, and skin.
Dessert’s On!
There are many great reasons for baking this cake, number one reason being the great taste of chocolate. You also know exactly what it contains. For starters, use really good chocolate! Really good chocolate should not feel waxy or pasty and should break into clean shards when chopped with a knife or chocolate fork. Always look for the words cocoa butter, cocoa solids, cocoa mass or cocoa liquor on the ingredients list. The quality of ingredients you bring to your baking counter when it comes to making a dessert will determine whether or not your highly anticipated delight will succeed or falter. The ingredients should be of the best quality.
Cocoa Powder
What is cocoa powder? Here’s a tip, think ground cocoa beans with the cocoa butter (better known as fat) pressed out. The result is a cocoa powder with an intense chocolate taste that is commonly used in baked goods. Also, remembering that chocolate liquor is made up of both cocoa solids and cocoa butter, it’s easy to visualize how brittle and unpalatable those cocoa solids would be with the removal of cocoa butter.
You’ll need
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cane sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cups coconut oil, melted (alternatively, substitute with extra-virgin olive oil)
½ cup almond milk
1 ½ cups zucchini, grated
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 6 inch, or 8 inch (15, or 20cm) cake pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and stir.
- In a small bowl, mix the coconut oil and almond milk, add to the dry ingredients. stir until you have a thick batter. Fold in the zucchini.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool slightly and serve.
Tips for Serving
Dust with icing sugar for a nice finish, or drizzle with melted chocolate. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and fresh berries.
Prep and cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Servings: 6 – 8
Difficulty: easy
