Chocolate-Covered Zucchini

Today was tough. After lunch I got a massage then lounged in the hammock finishing Stephen King’s “On Writing”, which all writers and writer-wanna-be’s should read immediately. It made me want to sit right down and work on my novel. Almost.

Instead I dabbled around in the garden where I found an epic zucchini about the size of New Hampshire. As I hauled it into the house, I told it, “I can’t let YOU go to waste, now can I?”

I gave it a rinse and shredded it up in the food processor then got out my worn-out handwritten recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Cake. I’ve made this family favorite, which originally came from one of my kids’ high-school friends, zillions of times. I’ve tweaked it over the years, upping the chocolate the older I get.

Making this moist chocolately, no-frosting-needed dessert is a great way to rid yourself of those monstrous squashes that hide so well under the weeds and leaves. It can even be made on a winter’s day with store-bought zucchini because it’s great comfort food any time of year and makes the house smell like Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Be careful, because it’s highly addictive, but at least you can tell yourself you’re getting in your veggies, albeit chocolate-covered. As you can see, I like it fresh out of the oven with a cold glass of milk, but we’ve been known to eat it with whipped cream and every flavor of ice cream you can imagine.

This particular cake is traveling with me to Peaks Island tomorrow for a girls’ day out, minus one piece.  I’m using the excuse that I had to do a photo shoot for this blog. I’m not sure my friends and family will buy it, but that’s what I’m going with.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 9x13-inch pan.

1 stick unsalted butter

½ c. oil
1 ¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
½ c. buttermilk OR ½ c. milk w/1 tsp. vinegar added-let these 2 ingredients mingle for at least 15 min.
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp.salt
6 T. cocoa
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. grated zucchini
2 c. chocolate chips (1 c. for batter and one cup to add on top)

Cream butter and oil w/sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture w/buttermilk. Stir in zucchini and 1 c. chocolate chips. Pour into pan. Sprinkle the other c. chocolate chips on top. Bake for 1 hour.