I am constantly cutting down the sugar in everything I make. And yet I do like a nice chocolate cake. And I also like finding ways to use up the abundance of overgrown zucchini that I get from the garden in the summer. (From my father-in-law’s garden, that is. I don’t get enough sun for much summer squash in mine.)
So I found a way to combine “low sugar” with zucchini and chocolate … and that’s what this cake is. A good-for-you cake that we usually eat for breakfast. (I am not a morning person so I do not cook breakfast in the morning. But I make cakes like these the night before so we have something quick yet healthy to grab for breakfast.)
3 cups shredded zucchini (I have pre-measured shredded zucchini in my freezer – just squeeze out excess water before using)
¾ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
½ cup olive oil, coconut oil, or melted butter (I use
olive oil)
In another bowl, mix:
3 cups flour (I use fresh-ground flour that I make at home. It seems to me that I have to use a bit more fresh-ground flour than white in recipes, so you might want to use a smidge less if using white flour.)
½ cup cocoa powder
scant 1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired
Mix the dry ingredients
into the wet ingredients. Add a bit of
water if it’s too dry or a bit more flour if too wet. Pour it into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish
(or maybe 2 bread loaf pans). Sprinkle a
spoonful of sugar over the top. Bake at
350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, till done.
Cool before eating. (You can
taste the sweetness better in “low-sugar” cakes if you cool them first.)
