Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This recipe is from a book called "Too Many Tomatoes, Squash, Beans, and Other Good Things: A Cookbook for when your garden explodes" by Burrows and Myers. I think of it as being an outdated cookbook; mine is the 1976 edition. Based on a quick perusal of Amazon, it looks as though they updated the cover, but left all the same recipes intact.

My opinion is that some would not use these recipes at least from a health perspective, but it fit into the farmhouse cooking I grew up with. Some of the recipes are dated, but the vintage feel can be nice. And it does have some decadent stuff. Here is one example. I've given some substitutions that you may or may not want to use.

(Sorry I haven't blogged much lately. I have some good excuses. I will elaborate later. I haven't forgotten the giveaways, either, and actually the giveaway stuff is piling up.)

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Cream together in large bowl:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup oil (I think you could use applesauce in exchange for the oil)

Add the following to above and stir well to mix:
3 eggs (six egg whites will cut down the fat a lot)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk (I use nonfat plain yogurt instead. You might be able to try some nonfat or lowfat sour cream here as well...worth trying.)

Measure the following into a sifter (I admit, I didn't do that) and then sift into the bowl
2 1/2 cups flour (mixing half and half white and wheat should work fine)
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
4 tablespoons cocoa

Grate three zucchini, about 6 in long each, into the bowl. Stir until blended. Pour into greased, floured 9 by 13 inch pan.

Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 cup of chocolate chips on top. (Of course I go for the cup full!) ;-) Bake for 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Be sure to test for doneness, make sure the center isn't still gooey.

ENJOY!!!