Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I've got a secret, please don't tell!!

I made a chocolate cake for "The Darlings" yesterday - they loved it!!  The secret is that is has a vegetable in it!!!!  I hid the recipe, so they have no idea that the lovely moist chocolate cake they loved so much has zucchini in it (and no, it is not the recycled zucchini that I took out of their gnocchi the night before!!!)

I was at a loss yesterday afternoon, it was raining, I had cleaned the kitchen (and didn't feel like tackling any more cleaning projects) - so what else was there to do but bake!!  Trouble was Mr. CCC had taken my car, and the rain was coming down pretty hard, didn't want to venture out in it - so I had to make do with what I had in the pantry!!!  Scoured the recipe books and the internet, and finally decided on a chocolate zucchini cake - I've never made one before!!!  I looked at several recipes, and in my usual style (or should I say based on what ingredients I had on hand) I made up my own version.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake


2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp bi carb soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
170g butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large zucchini, grated (you need approx. 2 cups)
1/2 cup milk


Glaze


1 1/2 - 2 cups icing sugar
3 tbs milk (approx)
1 tbs cocoa




Preheat oven to 180 C (non fan).


Lightly grease and flour a bundt pan.  

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bi carb soda, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl.  Set aside.


With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until they are well blended.  Add the eggs to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition.  


With a spoon, add the vanilla, and zucchini to the mixture.

Mix well.  Now alternately add the sifted dry ingredients and the milk, until all the the ingredients are combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin.

Bake in the oven for approximately 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, mix together the icing sugar and cocoa, then add the milk gradually until you have a thick, pouring consistency.  Drizzle the icing over the cake. When the icing is dry sift a little icing sugar over the cake for decoration.

Now whatever you do, do not, I repeat DO NOT tell "The Darlings" there is zucchini in there!!  It could scar them for life and they may never eat chocolate cake again!!! (as if!!!)