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Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Moist and Chewy Low-Sugar Chocolate Zucchini Breakfast Cake

            (Say that 5 times fast!)
            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.)

      
In a big bowl, mix:

            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.)