Chocolate Zucchini Cake - Louise

This chocolate cake hides two cups of grated zucchini in a rich, spiced batter that no one will ever suspect contains a vegetable. The zucchini melts into the crumb during baking, adding moisture that keeps the cake incredibly tender for days without making it taste like anything other than chocolate.

Cocoa powder combined with allspice and cinnamon gives this cake a warmer, more complex flavor than straight chocolate. The spices work in the background, adding depth without announcing themselves. Buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to create a tender, fine crumb, and the combination of butter and oil gives you both flavor and moistness.

Sprinkling chocolate chips over the top before baking rather than folding them into the batter is a clever move. They sink slightly into the surface as the cake rises, creating a built-in topping of melted chocolate pools that sets as the cake cools. No frosting needed.

Kitchen Tips

• Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Don’t squeeze out the moisture. That liquid is what makes the cake so moist. Fine grating releases too much water and can make the batter thin.
• Sift the dry ingredients as directed. Cocoa powder clumps badly, and sifting ensures it distributes evenly throughout the flour.
• Let it cool in the pan. This cake is soft and fragile when warm. Trying to remove it too early risks breaking it apart.

Variations

• Add chopped walnuts to the batter for a chocolate-zucchini-nut cake with more texture.
• Dust with powdered sugar after cooling for a simple, elegant finish instead of the chip topping.