Some days, only cake will improve your day. I adore a good piece of chocolate cake. I like it dense, chunky and moist with icing you lick off your fingers with glee.
Recently I was intrigued by a recipe I found that used grated Zucchini or Baby Marrow in the cake. I work on a farm where we receive TONS of baby marrows every day. I HAD to try it.
My first cake got a bit burnt, but it was decadent non-the-less. Inspired I tried again, this time with spectacular results.
I love giving the people at work a piece of cake, watch them enjoy it and then ask with a secretive smile: ”Could you taste the secret ingredients?” They pause, mid-lick of the finger and suspiciously ask: ”What secret ingredients?”
With a Cheshire-cat smile I happily inform them they just gorged themselves on Zucchini and Avocado. Wide-eyed they ask me: ”Really? No!”
Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Avocado Icing
240 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 60 grams (1/2 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 180 grams (1 scant cup) light brown sugar (I use unrefined cane sugar)
- 115 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, or 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules or 2 tablespoons strong cooled coffee — this is just to deepen the chocolate flavor, you won’t taste it in the finished product
- 3 large eggs
- 350 grams (2 cups) unpeeled grated zucchini, from about 1 1/2 medium zucchini
- 160 grams (1 cup) good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
Serves 12.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 25-cm (10-inch) round springform pan or a 22-cm (8 1/2-inch) square pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a mixer (or by hand in a large mixing bowl), beat the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the vanilla, coffee, and eggs, mixing well between each addition.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the zucchini, chocolate chips, and about a third of the flour mixture, making sure the zucchini strands are well coated and not clumping too much.
Add the rest of the flour mixture into the egg batter. Mix until just combined; the batter will be thick.
Fold the zucchini mixture into the batter, and blend with a spatula without over-mixing. Pour into the prepared cake pan, and level the surface.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes, run a knife around the pan to loosen, and unclasp the sides of the pan. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
This recipe is from: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2004/04/chocolate_zucchini_cake.php
The baby marrow in the cake keeps it nice and moist and the small amount of rising agents keeps it dense.
For the Avocado Icing
2 Perfectly Ripe Avocados
2 cups icing sugar
3/4 cup good quality cacao
a sprinkling of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Remove the skin and pit of the avos. Sprinkle with lemon juice and mash them up until nice and smooth.
Mix the icing sugar and cacao together, use a sift if clumpy. Add spoonfuls of the avo mixture into the icing until a nice thick consistency is reached. Stir in the vanilla essence and you will notice the icing is puffy and glossy. Chill for an hour if necessary before topping the cake with a generous layer of icing.
ENJOY your healthy chocolate cake. Or feed it to others and enjoy the look of wonder on their faces.
