Chocolate Zucchini Cake

In late summer you never know when zucchini might make an appearance in your meal. Zucchini is great in casseroles, pasta, or bread. It's delicious grilled and topped with olive oil, Italian parsley and garlic. You can even serve it stuffed with cracker crumbs and cheese. But the best way to use up your supply of zucchini is in this easy, moist chocolate cake.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
½ c. soft butter
½ c. vegetable oil
1 ¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ c. Buttermilk or sour milk*
2 ½ c all purpose flour
4 tablespoons Hershey’s cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
½ teaspoon each clove, cinnamon and salt
2 c. grated zucchini
¾ c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. chopped nuts.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour or spray with cooking spray a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a small bowl mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and spices.
Cream together butter, oil and sugar.
Add eggs, vanilla and buttermilk; blend well.
Add dry ingredients and mix to combine.
Add zucchini and stir until incorporated.
Pour batter in prepared baking pan, sprinkle with the chocolate chips and the chopped nuts.
Bake for 40 minutes. Let cake cool in pan.
When cake is cool drizzle with icing.

Icing
1 tablespoon butter
1 ½ tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar

Combine butter and milk in a mixing bowl and heat in the microwave until butter melts, about 30 seconds. Stir in vanilla. Add enough powdered sugar to make a glaze that forms ribbons when dripped from the end of a spoon. Drizzle icing over the top of the cake.
*sour milk;1 teaspoon vinegar to ½ c milk let sit about ten minutes.

I have made this cake with both sour milk and buttermilk with no difference in the cake texture or flavor.

printable recipe