I love many things in life. But at the top of the list, you’ll find chocolate along with adding mystery ingredients into recipes. The reason behind my love for chocolate is pretty self-explanatory. I mean chocolate is freaking amazing! As for adding mystery ingredients, I guess I love incorporating a splash of suspense and surprise in all aspects of life.
The secret ingredient: zucchini
I don’t like doing things conventionally and I hate following rules. I’m a rebel in the kitchen and life. So naturally, that results in me liking to experimenting with “strange” ingredients and seeing what happens. That’s why I gravitate towards these types of recipes. The ones that add veggies into baked goods, that is.
From a nutritionist point of view, I will always preach: eat your fruits and veggies EVERY DAY. If possible, at least 7 servings per day. And that number can seem quite high initially. But that’s where you can get creative in the kitchen. Like with this delicious chocolate zucchini cake.
This is also a great recipe for all the picky eaters out there. I do believe that we shouldn’t aim to hide veggies in dishes because we do have to learn to eat as close to nature as possible. But this is a great strategy to transform a treat into an explosion of nutrients.
Some of the nutrition superstars in this recipe are: cacao, zucchini, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The cacao, cinnamon, and nutmeg all contain a lovely amount of antioxidants and phytonutrients. As for the zucchini, it’s a great way to give your body a fiber boost as well as B vitamins and other vitamins and minerals.
So what do you say, are you ready to step out of your comfort zone and enjoy this delicious chocolate cake? You will not regret it. See you in the kitchen my dear friends!
Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe
Yields: 1 cake
Ingredients:
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 egg (organic if possible)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup cacao powder
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (plus extra to drizzle on top)
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Shred 2-3 zucchinis, let it sit on strainer to allow some of the extra water out.
- In a medium bowl, add all ingredients and mix well. I typically start with the wet ingredients and leave the dry ingredients towards the end. Especially the baking soda since you don’t want to over mix it.
- Pour batter in baking pan (11×7 inches) lightly coated with oil to avoid that cake sticks.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Optional: make chocolate drizzle by melting 1/4 cup chocolate drops with 1 TBSP of coconut oil. I did this by placing it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Allow cake to cool and drizzle chocolate over it.
- Enjoy!
