Zucchini Houdini

Guys I am SO sorry for the serious slackage that has transpired over the past few weeks. Luckily for you, (unluckily for me) my waitressing tenure at Ravinia Festival has ended with the season so I have much more free time. And also much less income. Exactly 100% less income, as a matter of fact. Damn.

Yesterday was my dad's birthday and as is tradition, I made a dessert to go along with some serious excellent home cooking thanks to my mom. I needed something that came together quick and easily since I had a laundry list about a yard long and no time to unmold cake pans or whip up frosting. Eventually, I decided on an old recipe my mom has had forever -- chocolate chip zucchini cake. I know, it sounds weird and gross but the zucchini is the ingredient equivalent of a silent letter. The zucchini (grated thinly) makes the cake incredibly dense and taste much richer than it actually is. Don't get me wrong, it's still got butter and a whole lot of sugar in it, but it's definitely lower down on the list of cake sins than some others that I have made in the past.

This is an excellent cake to keep in your arsenal because it's almost impossible to mess up, looks very pretty and transports well. I like to bake it in an earthenware casserole dish for extra Martha Stewart points and then sprinkle it with a combination of cinnamon, powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

I promise to get some delicious stuff up on the site later this week; now that the weather is turning cooler (kill me kill me kill me) I have some delicous plans for squash. Butternut = bae.

Ingredients:

2 c. zucchini, finely grated

1 1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

1/2 c. nonfat plain yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

4 tbs. cocoa powder

1 1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the applesauce and mix to combine.

2. Slowly add the yogurt, vanilla and eggs. Beat another minute until fully incorporated.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa. Add by half-cupfuls to the wet mixture. Beat only until just combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowls.

4. Add the zucchini a little at a time too, beating on low speed until fully incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

5. Bake in a well-greased pan (I used 7x15) at 350F for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Rotate halfway through baking time.

#cakes #easy #desserts