Saturday, September 12, 2009

Lie to Yourself Cake


This cake is one of those cakes that you tell yourself, "hey, this is good for me- lots of fiber and vitamins from that zucchini." Ah, yeah, it still has fat in it but don't even think about that. Slice a piece and sit down with a cup of tea. Place a small bite in your mouth and languish over it. Feel the chocolate melting in your mouth and the tender crumb. The way that moist delicious cake feels in your mouth. Close your eyes and let out an "oh my God, is this freaking zucchini cake or chocolate greatness cake."

For goodness sake -make the lipsmacking ganache that you pour over the top- it truly takes this cake to a whole other level.

Chocolate "Lie to Yourself" Zucchini Cake

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream or yogurt
2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup (2 1/4 ounce) Dutch-process cocoa
2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional but tasty
2 cups shredded zucchini (about one 10″ zucchini, about 12 ounces)
1/2 cup (3 ounces) chocolate chips

Chocolate Ganache Topping
6 oz heavy cream
9 oz chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly coat a 9″x13″ pan with baking spray

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, oil, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the eggs.

3. Stir in the sour cream or yogurt alternately with the flour. Then add the cocoa and espresso powder, mixing till smooth. Finally, fold in the zucchini and 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 35 – 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a rack.

5. To prepare the frosting, heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Wait 3-5 minutes then stir to combine. It may take a few minutes of stirring for the ganache to come together. When it cools and is still a bit warm pour over cake and smooth with offset spatula. Allow frosting to set for about 30 minutes before serving. (I stuck it in the fridge for a bit to speed up the process.)

11 comments:

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Yours is the second blog I've seen this on today! It looks and sounds even better the second time. I just wish I liked chocolate.
~ingrid

Mary Bergfeld said...

I love this recipe. I've long been able to convince myself that cake, with eggs, milk and citrus zest, is a perfect breakfast. We'd get along famously :-).

Nancy Cook said...

Okay...that does it...I am making this cake today. Looks yummy, Lori!

grace said...

i have no problem deceiving myself when it comes to pseudo-healthy treats. unlike ingrid, chocolate rocks my world, and this cake looks delectable!

Katy ~ said...

Lori, you make me laugh out loud!

The cake just soooo innocent...and it does have zucchini....

Murasaki Shikibu said...

Well, let's just say I'd eat it anyway. :)

kat said...

This is the perfect way to use zucchini!

Nancy Cook said...

Just wanted to return and tell you that I made the cake and it was perfect. My husband had never had zucchini ("corgette"-he is English)baked goods before. This was a great intro... Thanks!

LittleRed said...

I love chocolate zucchini cake! i have a zucchini sitting on my counter as I type.....hmmmmm And the ganache topping sounds like the nail in my coffin.....going to have to try it

Lori said...

Nancy- so glad he liked it and what a wonderful way to start having zucchini in baked goods.

Little Red- no nail- just pleasure, ok? :)

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I am making this one for sure Lori! I am so glad you added it to your zucchini list :)