My "Fannie Farmer Baking Book", by Marion Cunningham, has seen better days. Circa 1984, the spine is broken, so it falls into several sections when you "open" it, and many of the pages have a strong feel of flour and butter. Or chocolate, as in the case of the recipe on page 346 for the Chocolate Zucchini Cake. Since there is rarely a better time than July to make this cake, I thought we'd just post it right here, for all those gardeners out there to enjoy. It's still a good idea to celebrate the annual August 8th holiday of "Sneak Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Porch Day", but maybe get a few of these in the freezer ahead of time.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake, thanks to Marion Cunningham
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.
Cream 6 ounces (or 3/4 cup) of relatively soft butter with 2 cups of sugar, beating until smooth.
Beat in 3 eggs, and mix thoroughly.
Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, and 2 cups of grated raw zucchini.
(Batter may look curdled at this point, but don't worry, it will smooth out later.)
In a separate bowl, stir together 2 and 3/4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
Sift all the dry ingredients onto a sheet of wax paper. Add them alternately with 1/2 cup of milk, and beat thoroughtly until well mixed.
Stir in 1 cup of chopped walnuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean near the cake's center. Let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then turn out.
This cake is a prime candidate for Cream Cheese Frosting, although the recipe suggests Coffee Frosting. That being said, we are serving it tonight with chocolate sauce.
Get those zucchinis out of the garden and onto the dessert plate, eh?!
Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, and 2 cups of grated raw zucchini.
(Batter may look curdled at this point, but don't worry, it will smooth out later.)
In a separate bowl, stir together 2 and 3/4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
Sift all the dry ingredients onto a sheet of wax paper. Add them alternately with 1/2 cup of milk, and beat thoroughtly until well mixed.
Stir in 1 cup of chopped walnuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean near the cake's center. Let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then turn out.
This cake is a prime candidate for Cream Cheese Frosting, although the recipe suggests Coffee Frosting. That being said, we are serving it tonight with chocolate sauce.
Get those zucchinis out of the garden and onto the dessert plate, eh?!
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