Zucchini Chocolate Cake

Y'all - I need you to stop what you are doing RIGHT NOW and turn on your oven to 350 degrees.  I realize it is hot outside, but this is important.

See what I mean?  This is what we're making.  This is how you do it.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

(my Pop Pop's recipe!)

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup butter (room temp)

2 cup sugar

3 eggs beaten

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cup flour

1/3 cup coca

2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sour cream

3 cups grated zucchini 

*Note - I actually ended up grating 2 zucchinis to yield three cups.

Here we go!

Start by grating your zucchini.  I have one of those grating/slicing attachments for my kitchenaid mixer, so this step was actually fun and easy.  At first I wasn't sure if the mixer could handle the entire zucchini so I cut it up before putting it through.  I realized after the first one was grated that it would be fine and stuck the entire second zucchini in the little compartment and it was grated in less than a minute!

One of the first things you want to do is to melt your unsweetened chocolate and vegetable oil over low heat.  You want it to melt, not really cook or get too hot so it has to be done sloooooowly.  

I didn't start with this step and ended up having to (impatiently) watch chocolate melt.

While the chocolate and oil are melting, cream the butter and the sugar together.

In a separate bowl, mix together your beaten eggs and vanilla.

And add that to the mixture.

Let it mix for a few minutes ...

Then add the chocolate/oil mixture.

Then combine your flour, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa ...

And carefully add to the mixture.

Wouldn't it be great if we just stopped here and licked the beater?

Okay, so at this point, the batter will be verrrrry thick.  Add the zucchini and mix well - the batter will have thinned up!

Pour into a greased 13x9 pan and bake 40-45 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean) at 350 degrees.

Ice the cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.  Homemade is preferred.

Come back a little bit later and we'll talk about how to make that.

Trust me when I say this is amazing.  You cannot taste or see the zucchini.  It's a magic cake.

Salivate a little.  Eat a lot.  Take a nap.  Amen.