Rich chocolate zucchini cake with a hint of orange
Let’s get one thing straight. We are firm believers that there is always a time and place for cake. It doesn’t matter what your food preferences are, what the diet fad of the moment is, how much weight you think you need to lose or how much sugar you need to cut out of your diet. Everything in moderation is fine. The only problem is that it’s going to be hard for you to keep to moderation with this double chocolate zucchini cake, because it is so darn delicious. However, given that there are 3 cups of grated zucchini in this bundt, we’re not sure that it even qualifies as cake. Come to think of it, it’s more of a vegetable side dish. Moderation problem solved.
Chocolate zucchini cakes are certainly nothing new, and with an abundance of garden zucchini we have tested quite a few recipes over the years. All were pretty good (because, cake), with some desserts turning out better than others. This summer, we decided to jot down our own ideas, and came up with the recipe which follows. We’re pretty impressed with ourselves, and with this cake. We think you will be too 🙂
Helpful hints
Unlike other recipes where zucchini is grated and must be drained to remove all excess water, in this recipe you don’t want to drain your zucchini. It is, in part, the water content of the zucchini which helps you to bake a cake which is incredibly moist and with a soft crumb.
The glaze for this cake is quite thin; you will not be left with a thick white glaze on top of the cake. Instead, much of it will run off the cake, but what remains behind is enough to give a sweet, orange flavoured top. The key to ensure that enough of your glaze remains on the cake is to pour it over a completely cooled cake. Make sure your cake platter is large enough to catch the excess that drips off.
The glaze is truly optional. The cake is delicious without it, and so if you would prefer to save on the calories and ingredients, go ahead and skip the glaze. We think that it adds a nice flavour and texture, but the cake is good enough to stand alone.
Double chocolate zucchini cake
Equipment
- Bundt pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tbsp grated orange rind
- 3 cups grated zucchini (unpeeled)
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- cooking spray for greasing the pan
For the glaze:
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa and ground ginger. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup cocoa, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat to combine for 2 – 3 minutes. Carefully pour in the olive oil, orange juice and grated orange rind. Mix well to combine and then add the grated zucchini. Beat well until well combined for 2 – 3 minutes.3 eggs, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup granulated white sugar, 1 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 tbsp grated orange rind, 3 cups grated zucchini (unpeeled)
- With the speed of the mixer set to minimum, carefully add the dry ingredients (the flour mixture) to the wet ingredients (eggs, sugar, oil etc…). Mix well until evenly combined and then add in the chocolate chips. Mix well.1 cup chocolate chips
- Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray; alternatively you can grease it with some vegetable oil. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the middle rack of your oven for 55 to 60 minutes. Check for doneness using a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done.
- Allow your cake to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then carefully invert it onto a cooling rack so that it cools completely.
- To prepare the glaze, whisk together the orange juice and icing sugar. When your cake is completely cooled, pour the glaze evenly over the top of the cake. The glaze is quite runny and thin, so be sure to have a baking sheet or large platter under the cake to catch the drippings.2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Enjoy!
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