chocolate zucchini cake recipe – use real butter (2024)

Recipe: chocolate zucchini cake

So much can happen in a few days… or in a matter of moments. I’ve struggled with my feelings since the Boston Marathon bombing earlier this week, just as I do whenever things don’t make sense. In times of crisis, I try to understand what is happening because sorting it out in my head helps me deal with difficult situations. But the truth is, I will never comprehend the motivations of those who willfully do harm to civilians. And while we know that there are always good people who will put their lives on the line to help those in dire need, it makes my heart hurt knowing that someone intentionally set the violence and destruction in motion in the first place.

Upon learning the news on Monday, I scoured around for more information, checking in with friends in the area or those who might have run the marathon. Past the first hour it became apparent that the news was just a cycle of regurgitation, confusion, and sadness. I pushed away from my desk and stepped outside to clear my head and maybe ease some of the sorrow I was feeling. It has been snowing here like gangbusters – all of the snow we should have received in January but will gratefully take now. It’s high enough (about 2 feet) that Kaweah can only go where I break a trail because she’s too weak to bound around me and run off like she did in her prime. I took in the silence of snow falling and muting all sounds. Except there were chirps and flutters that caught my attention.

I’m no birder, but I enjoy making note of the birds that pass through our woods. Through the falling snow they looked like a dozen or more LBBs (little brown birds) constantly flitting about to find the perfect branch. Only when I examined the photographs could I see the splashes of bright yellow and red in their plumage to determine they were cedar waxwings (thanks Google!). When I went back outside to see if I could get closer (birds are skittish), they had moved on. Still, it was a lovely little gift on such a sad day. Life is fragile, yes. Life is also resilient. Most of all, it is precious.

As you can see, it has been dumping this past week after many ski resorts closed for the season last weekend. Some are re-opening this weekend to take advantage of the 2+ feet of new powder. And while we are always glad to get snow to ski, the mountains and the foothills are breathing a collective sigh of relief because our snowpack is approaching 90% of normal. Hopefully that translates into a less eventful wildfire season, beautiful mountain streams and wildflowers late into summer, and more food for the wildlife. For now though…

I’m still in the mood to bake, which will diminish as the sun climbs higher into the sky and dawdles about dragging its bedtime later each day. I was cleaning out a pile of old recipes when I found a chocolate zucchini cake recipe from a friend back in graduate school. The recipe itself didn’t tickle my fancy, but the idea of a chocolate zucchini cake did and so I went searching for a recipe that suited my preferences. I tend to prefer cakes that use sour cream or yogurt or buttermilk because they bake more stably at my elevation.

Just you wait. Come summer, some of you will be running around trying to give your zucchini away to complete strangers on the street. I don’t discourage that behavior, because I think it’s a wonderful thing to share the love. But do keep this cake in mind because it’s a fast and easy one to mix up and bake. Make two – one for you and one for a friend.

The King Arthur Flour recipe bakes this cake in a 9×13-inch baking pan and serves it out of the pan. I baked my chocolate zucchini cake in a bundt pan because it not only looks nicer, I can give a whole one away and keep my pan. If you decide to follow my lead, then I suggest not only greasing the bundt pan, but also dusting it with cocoa powder for ease of release. I am all for averting disasters.

The reason I recommend dusting the pan with cocoa powder is because I didn’t do that the first time and it required a lot of careful prying to get my cake out of the bundt pan. That resulted in a slightly shaggy cake as opposed to the desired clean release. No worries. You can hide minor imperfections with a dusting of powdered sugar. Or if you’re serious about chocolate overdose, you can pour a chocolate ganache glaze over the cake.

This cake is wonderful. It’s moist (I don’t understand why people hate this word so much – moist is far better than damp), tender, deeply chocolatey and rich without being heavy. The occasional chunk of chocolate is also a nice surprise. You can’t tell the zucchini is in there unless you’re looking for it. That could be a positive when dealing with people who claim not to like vegetables, but just don’t know better!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
[print recipe]
from King Arthur Flour

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream, buttermilk, or yogurt
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups dutch process cocoa + extra for dusting
2 tsps espresso powder
3 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used 1 cup)

icing
1 cup chocolate chips
OR
powdered sugar for dusting

Note: Follow the link to the original recipe at King Arthur Flour for conversions to weights in ounces or grams.

Preheat oven to 325°F. KAF greases a 9×13-inch baking pan, but I opted to use a 12-cup bundt pan. If you use a bundt pan, I suggest not only greasing the pan, but dusting it in cocoa powder for easier release because I had some trouble getting a clean release with only greasing the pan. Beat the butter, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together until creamy. Mix in the vegetable oil and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Stir in the dairy (sour cream, buttermilk, or yogurt – whichever you are using), alternating with the flour. Mix in the cocoa and espresso powder and beat until smooth. Fold the zucchini and chocolate chips into the batter. Pour the batter into your baking pan and bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes. If using a 9×13-inch baking pan, the cake should be ready when you press on the top and the cake springs back. You can ice the cake by spreading 1 cup of chocolate chips on top of the hot cake (right out of the oven) into a smooth layer. For the bundt cake, mine baked for 55 minutes before it was done. Let the cake cool about 20-30 minutes before releasing from the bundt pan and dust with powdered sugar. Serves 24.

more goodness from the use real butter archives

chocolate bourbon cake

chocolate stout cake

chocolate chip banana bread

zucchini bread

April 18th, 2013: 11:40 am
filed under baking, cake, chocolate, dairy, dessert, eggs, recipes, sweet, vegetables