I am very, very happy about the cake I made on Friday. It’s one of Scott’s mom’s most-requested recipes for picnics and fundraisers and that sort of thing, and I’ve been looking forward to giving it a try for a while now. I was skeptical, as it originates from a church cookbook and I am sort of afraid of those; my first exposure to church cookbooks was through a roommate in college and I was alarmed to find that there was either mayonnaise, ham, or jello in every single recipe, and there was one recipe that included all three. (To be fair, though, the cornbread recipe in that book was awesome. Must have been the mayonnaise.)
Anyway, without further ado, it’s chocolate zucchini cake! I’m posting the original recipe with my veganizations, which according to Scott, make the cake better than mom’s – a high compliment indeed.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/4 c. margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks.)
1/4 c. vegetable shortening
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 – 1/3 c. plain soy yogurt (original – 1 egg)
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. sour soy milk (1/2 cup soy milk + 1 tsp vinegar, let sit for a few minutes to curdle. Original – 1/2 cup regular sour milk)
2 1/2 c. flour
4 T. cocoa
2 t. baking soda
2 c. shredded zucchini (about one medium zucchini)
12 oz. chocolate chips
Cream first four ingredients together in an electric mixer. Add soy yogurt (or egg), vanilla, and sour milk, mixing until well blended. Sift dry ingredients and add. Mix in zucchini last. Spoon into greased and floured 9×13 pan and sprinkle top of cake with chocolate chips. Bake at 325 for 45 to 50 minutes. Serve completely cooled.
This cake has some really interesting features. The zucchini disappears as it’s baked, although there is a very faint aftertaste when the cake is still warm, once it cools, the aftertaste is completely gone. It’s just delightfully chocolatey. One of the challenges with vegan cakes is that they tend to turn out dry, or dry out very quickly when stored. I made this five days ago, and the pieces left in my refrigerator are still great. It’s very exciting when recipe modifications turn out perfectly on the first try!
