When I first read about this cake (yesterday) in Chocolate & Zucchini
It was very lucky that I had two courgettes sitting in my vegetable box just screaming out to be enveloped in a rich chocolate batter. I mean, lets face it getting smothered in chocolate isn’t a bad thing to happen is it?
Despite my enthusiasm to try to out a new recipe, especially such an interesting one, I had my doubts about how it would turn out. Courgettes and olive oil in a sweet bake, it just didn’t sound at all right in the scheme of things.
How wrong could I be? Immensely, judging by my friends and families reactions; lots of oohs, ahhs and mmms. No one could believe the cake contained courgette. It just added a fluffy moistness and the chocolate chips added a little crunch. The cocoa powder as usual brings a rich deepness to the whole episode.
The recipe provides a choice with the fat – butter or olive oil. I used an Umbrian extra virgin olive oil which I’d bought in a small bottega during my holiday in Assisi last spring, which lent a peppery tang. Next time I’ll try using unsalted butter, which I think will make the cake slightly more moist and fluffy.
I topped the cake with melted white chocolate, mini gold dragees and silver sugar hearts.
The Recipe:
110g unsalted butter at room temperature, or 120ml extra virgin olive oil plus 1 pat butter or teaspoon olive oil for greasing.
240g plain flour
60g unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
180g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
3 large eggs
350g unpeeled grated zucchini from about 1 1/2 medium zucchini – keep the remaining half-zucchini for optional garnish
160g good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips
Confectioner’s sugar or melted bittersweet chocolate (optional)
Serves 12.
1. Preheat the oven to 180′c and grease a 25cm spring form pan with butter oil oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a food processor, process the sugar and butter until creamy (you can also do this by hand, armed with a sturdy spatula). Add the vanilla, coffee granules, and eggs, mixing well between each addition.
3. Reserve about 120g of the flour mixture and add the rest to the egg mixture. Mix until just combined; the batter will be thick.
4. Add the zucchini and chocolate chips to the reserved flour mixture and toss the coat. Fold into the batter and blend with a wooden spoon – don’t overmix. Pour into the prepared cake pan and level the surface with a spatula.
5. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool for 10 minutes, run a knife around the pan to loosen the cake, and unclasp the sides of the pan. Let cool to room temperature before serving. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, glaze with melted chocolate, or decorate with a few slices of raw zucchini (you don’t have to eat them though).
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks beautiful, George.
) Thank you for introducing us all to your culinary world. 
xoxo
Ilana
That looks lovely George.
Have you tried ‘Flora’s courgette cake’ from HTBADG? That’s really good too.
xx
Yummy, George! I’d love to sink my teeth into a slice of that cake.
Lea x
Hi Anna Flora’s courgette cake hasn’t been attempted yet here, it’s bookmarked as a must try. As soon as I get some more courgettes I’ll give it a go.
xx
I’ve made Flora’s one, and chocolate could only make it better! Looks great.
Oh, it’s looks delicious George. I have been wondering about the rest of the book though, do you like it?
Sandy I’ve had this book for a few months now and confess that apart from the initial flicking through I’ve hardly touched it. However over the last couple of days I’ve began to read it thoroughly like a novel and I’m loving it – plenty of nice stories, good writing, delicious sounding recipes and plenty of scope for variation and adding my own twist to recipes, which is always good.
I just love the way you use words. So clever. Makes everything sound so very yummy, and we can see you love cooking, baking and writing.
You are a STAR.
Now give us a piece of that cake please.
This looks delicious, George. I have some zucchinis left in the fridge and think I’m gonna give this one a try. Where did you get your Dutch-processed cocoa from? I have yet to find it here in the UK. And how about the semisweet chocolate chips? I tried the Hershey’s and Nestle’s ones and didn’t like neither one of them.
Hi Lynn,
I think I actually just used Green & Blacks cocoa and for the semi-sweet chocolate chips I just used dark chocolate broken into chunks.
Hi George,
Thank you for such a quick reply! I’ve kept coming across info on some blogs saying if the recipe call for Dutch-processed cocoa that’s what you have to use otherwise it won’t work. I’m totally new to baking and don’t wanna mess it up, so I tend to follow baking recipes to the letter. LOL I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Hi Lynn,
Are they American recipes you’re looking at? I’ve never totally understood the differences in the cocoas they mention but I do know it’s something to do with the alkali balance of them. Standard UK cocoa is always ok, just don’t use drinking chocoalte. Good luck!
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