When zucchini were taking over our gardens this summer and I was running out of ideas for how to eat them, particularly when one in the family does NOT eat zucchini, this cake recipe was a big hit! It was the first time we had tried it, so we hope you like it as well. This is a dense, chocolatey, surprisingly good cake! Since zucchini are available year-round, we thought we’d post this recipe ~ it’s a nice consideration for one of your holiday desserts!
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 C flour
- 1 C unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 T sea salt
- 2-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon (we use Penzy’s)
- 3/4 C unsweetened butter
- 1 C organic sugar
- 1 C organic brown sugar
- 4 farm fresh organic eggs
- 1/2 C Nancy’s sour cream (Nancy’s is the best!, but you can use another that you like)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp fresh lemon zest (or orange zest)
- 3-1/2 C zucchini, shredded (about 1 pound of zucchini)
- 1 C toasted hazelnuts (or walnuts), chopped (optional)
Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
- 3/4 C softened butter (or coconut oil)
- 2/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 C sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest (or orange)
DIRECTIONS
Start with your zucchini. Shred and set the zucchini to drain in a sieve over a bowl. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. With a mixer, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add the eggs to mixture and beat well. With a spoon, fold in the vanilla, lemon peel and zucchini. Stir dry ingredients, sour cream and hazelnuts. Prep your bundt pan with softened butter or spray oil. Pour batter into bundt pan and spread evenly across the top. Bake at 350 for 55 to 60 minutes or until wooden skewer or knife comes out clean. I tested our cake several times at the 45 min point. It ended up cooking for 65 minutes, but your oven may be a little different than ours. Just keep an eye on it. Cool in pan for 30 minutes and turn out onto a plate. Once cooled enough, spread frosting on. Sprinkle with extra hazelnuts. Serve with berries or ice cream or whipped cream!