Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Each year, I plant a garden, where I try different things, instead of just the standard tomatoes and peppers.  Last year, my addition was two zucchini plants, which were blown over and snapped off, just as my first zucchini was starting to grow.  I was so bummed since I was really looking forward to all the zucchini I was going to grow so that I could make the wonderful zucchini bread and cake recipes that my Mom gave me several years ago.  

Oh, and these are great recipes!  I've known people who don't like zucchini, but love the chocolate zucchini cake...with a glass of milk, there is nothing better!  I mean really, you get to eat chocolate cake, and you don't feel guilty because it has vegetables in it!

This year, I made sure I was going to get some zucchini, so I planted 15 plants.  Yep, that's right...fifteen plants.  All I can say now is...I have lots of zucchini and more coming every day!  

Needless to say, I was able to make the chocolate zucchini cake, and remember why people love it so much.  It has this perfect combination of chocolate with some cinnamon and clove spices to add that extra little 'sumtin, sumtin'.  The zucchini helps keep the cake moist, and then some chocolate icing on top that brings everything together nicely.   Yum!

Here are the ingredients for the recipe:

 1/2 c. butter (softened)

 1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 c. shredded zucchini (peeled)

1/4 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. sour milk (add 1 T. vinegar to milk to make it sour)

2 1/2 c. flour

4 T. cocoa

1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cloves (ground)

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

Here are the directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in the order given.  Here is what it looks like when you cream the first five ingredients together.

You'll want to shred your zucchini to add into the mixture...I really did shred into a different bowl, but had it on the main bowl for the pictures... 

Mix the rest of the ingredients together

Bake in a 9x13 well greased pan at 325 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes.

In the top picture, I used Duncan Hines chocolate fudge icing out of the tub to ice the cake.  I had enough batter left over, that I was able to make a small cake, and made a chocolate mousse icing for it.  Both are good...the mousse icing is refreshing...  and here's the super easy recipe for it

 Ingredients:
1 container of whipped cream (I used Cool Whip free to cut down on the calories).  
1/2 pkg of instant chocolate pudding (I used sugar free...once again to keep calories down)

Slowly pour 1/2 the package of instant pudding into the cool whip and gently fold in.  Continue to fold the pudding in until it is thoroughly mixed together.  Let sit for about 5 mins, and the mixture will thicken.  Spread on top of the cake...or just eat with a spoon.  Guess which one I did!  
 
Hope you get your chocolate fix, with a side of veggies!
Dee