You’ll never know that the zucchini is in there. It’s chocolate! Very moist and delicious.
Yield: one large 10-inch tube pan cake, or Bundt cake.
- 2 1/2 c flour, unsifted
- 1/2 c cocoa powder
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
- 2 c sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp freshly grated orange peel
- 2 c coarsely shredded zucchini
- 1/2 c milk
- 1 c chopped walnuts or pecans [optional]
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 10″ tube pan, or Bundt pan.
Combine dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon). There’s no need to sift them, but stir them well to mix. Set aside.
With a mixer, beat the butter and the sugar until they are smooth and pale. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Then , switch to using a wooden spoon, and gently stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.
Alternatingly add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter – keep using the spoon, you don’t need the mixer for this. If you’re using them, add the nuts with the last bit.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 min (start testing at 45) until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 15 min, then turn it out on the wire rack to finish cooling.
OPTIONAL but nice: make a glaze to drizzle over the cake when it’s cool: 2 c powdered sugar, 3 Tbsp milk, 1 tsp vanilla beaten together.