Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Zest of Orange | Sequatchie Cove Farm

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup good quality non-dutched cocoa powder
• 2 tsp cardamom
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 cups sucanat
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbs milk
• ½ cup sour cream
• 3 cups grated zucchini
• Zest from 3 oranges
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Chocolate glaze:

• ½ stick unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup dark chocolate.  (Lindt Intense Orange is nice, or you can use any good quality dark chocolate and more zest of orange to flavor.)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a nine-inch spring form cake pan.

Mix dry ingredients (except sucanat) together and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sucanat with a mixer.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.   Next, mix in vanilla, sour cream and zucchini, and then fold in orange zest, chocolate chips and nuts.

Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for about one hour (It took almost 90 minutes on a rainy day, so time may vary).  Check center of cake with toothpick or wooden skewer before removing from oven.

To prepare chocolate glaze, combine butter, corn syrup and water in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to boil.  Remove from heat and add chocolate (and orange zest if using).  Stir until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Let cool 15 minutes on a wire rack, and then remove from pan.  Drizzle chocolate glaze over the top.

Filed under: Seasonal Food Recipes on July 28th, 2009 |