Chocolate and Zucchini Cake

Many years back, when I first came across the world of food blogs, one of the very first recipes I’d bookmarked was a recipe for a cake from Clotilde Dusoulier’s blog.

Last week when I was on my refrigerator-cleaning mission, I finally got around to making this cake.

You can find the original recipe here; I followed it closely but did make a couple of changes, the most important one being the addition of a good amount of orange zest. My husband does not care much for chocolate or any recipe using chocolate but he does like the classic combination of chocolate and orange flavors. It also happens to be one of my favorite flavor combinations.

Here’s how I adapted the recipe to make my version of the chocolate and zucchini cake:

*I used a lot of orange zest since  I think chocolate and orange are so perfect together.

* I decreased the amount of cocoa powder, butter and eggs.

* I used melted chocolate in the recipe

*I added buttermilk to the batter. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a cake pan. I used my bundt pan.

Mix together the following dry ingredients in a bowl-

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
•  ½ tsp salt

In another bowl mix together the following-

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 6 oz semi sweet chocolate
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp orange zest (from 1 big orange)
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup buttermilk

Combine the dry and wet ingredients together and mix well.

Grate 2 medium zucchini.  I got approximately 2 cups- a little more or a little less is fine. Squeeze as much water out as possible first and then add it to the batter. Give it a good mix. The batter will be relatively thick; if you have trouble bringing it together, add a splash of buttermilk.

Dump the batter into the greased pan and bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Cool for 10 minutes; remove cake from pan.

The cake was absolutely fantastic- it had a rich chocolate taste and an  intense orange flavor that I was hoping for.  It was tender, moist and delicious- I’m definitely going to be making this over and over again!
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                        Chocolate Beet Cake

Update: I tried the cake recently using beets instead of zucchini. Although I was a bit skeptical about using beets, I decided to go ahead with it. The cake turned out to be very moist and delicious. I shared it with my co-workers the next day without telling them what was in it. Everyone loved the cake!

Zucchini Fritters

I made these zucchini cakes following the recipe on Ree's blog, The Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients:

(for 10 small cakes/fritters)

4 small (or 2 large) zucchini, grated
1/2 grated onion
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
1/4- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Oil for pan-frying

Method:

Sprinkle the grated zucchini with salt and set aside while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.

In a large bowl, mix together the grated onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, bread crumbs, egg and flour.

Squeeze out the excess liquid from the zucchini and add it the rest of the batter. Mix well to combine.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Use just enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet.

When the oil is hot enough, drop small mounds of the zucchini mixture into the skillet and flatten slightly. Shallow fry until the cakes are crisp and golden brown on one side, about 3-4 minutes. I was able to fry 3-4 cakes at a time. Flip and cook the other side similarly. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with the dipping sauce of your choice. We had ours with this tasty ranch dip.

Zucchini And Corn Bake

I’m always looking for simple recipes that make use of zucchini since I invariably end up with a few of these in my cart during grocery shopping. This vegetable casserole is a great one-dish meal that would be perfect for breakfast, dinner and everything in between. The recipe I followed uses zucchini but any kind of summer squash would work well here.

(Adapted from SaraFish’s recipe on RecipeZaar)

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini- coarsely grated, salted, and set aside for 10 minutes at least, and then squeezed dry
1 cup corn (I used frozen)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Red pepper flakes
Lemon-Pepper seasoning
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
3-4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
¼ cup bread crumbs


For the topping:
¼ cup dried bread crumbs
½ cup cheese (I used some leftover shredded mozzarella)
2 Tbsp cold butter

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch (or smaller) baking dish with foil and grease well.

Mix together the grated zucchini, corn, salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon-pepper seasoning. Add the milk, eggs, bread crumbs, and flour.

Combine everything together and transfer the mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese and remaining bread crumbs, and dot with butter before popping it into the oven.

Bake until the top is golden brown and forms a crust, 20 to 25 minutes. Keep under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes till the cheese melts.

Spicy Zucchini Soup

(Adapted from a recipe in the Everyday Food cookbook )

Ingredients:
(For 2-3 servings)
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, sliced
1 small potato, cubed
2 medium zucchini, cubed
A pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp roasted cumin powder (I always have a small batch of cumin seeds that have been roasted and powdered, kept in the refrigerator)
½ tsp coriander powder
Salt
Pepper

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic followed by the onions, potatoes, zucchini, and the spices and seasonings. Cook until the vegetables are tender.

Add 1 ½ to 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Puree the soup until smooth.

Simmer for a few minutes till it thickens. Serve hot.

Baked Zucchini Fries With A Yogurt-Buttermilk Ranch Dip

These baked zucchini fries are an easy and healthy alternative to French fries. I made this a few nights ago when I was looking for a simple side that would go well with the grilled cheese sandwiches I was making for dinner. I also made a quick dip for the fries while they were baking in the oven.
The recipes for both the fries and the dip can be found on Faith’s blog.

For the Zucchini Fries:

Ingredients:
2 zucchini, cut into long, thick pieces
1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk
¼ cup unseasoned, dry bread crumbs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Red chilli powder
Garlic powder
Dried herbs (I used a combination of basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease well.

In a wide, shallow bowl, beat the eggs with a little bit of milk. In another bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, chilli powder, and dried herbs.

Dip the zucchini pieces in the egg-milk mixture first and then roll in the bread crumb- cheese mixture to get an even coating all over.

Place in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake at 425 F for 20- 25 minutes.

My fries were a little soft on the inside and had a crunchy exterior but they were still very tasty. I’ve also tried Ellie Krieger’s recipe for Zucchini Parmesan Crisps using the dry ingredients in this recipe. We liked it so much that I’ve made it twice in the last few days.




For the Yogurt-Buttermilk Ranch Dip:

Ingredients:
Yogurt
Buttermilk
Lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Sugar
Dried parsley
Dried dill

Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and whisk well. Serve with fries.

Zucchini Gratin

This is my adaptation of an Ina Garten recipe. I was watching Ina’s show on television recently and saw her use zucchini to make a gratin. For once, I had all the ingredients on hand and was able to try it out immediately. According to Ina, this gratin can be assembled a day in advance and baked just when needed.

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 large zucchini, sliced into ¼ inch thick rounds
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
4 tsp all-purpose flour
½ to ¾ cup milk (I use 2%)
¾ cup grated mozzarella (I kept the block of cheese in the freezer for 15 minutes to make grating it easier)
½ to ¾ cup bread crumbs


Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan and cook the onions till soft. Add the red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and nutmeg followed by the zucchini and cook until tender.

Stir in the flour and then add the milk. Mix well to remove any lumps that may be present. Cook over low heat until it thickens to form a sauce.

Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish. (I used a 9-inch pie dish for this.)

Mix the bread crumbs with the grated cheese and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture.

Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is all bubbly and the surface develops a nice brown crust.

Notes: I think I’ll try grating the zucchini (instead of making rounds) and squeezing out the excess water from it when I make this gratin the next time. There was something not quite right about the texture here. I’ll also use another kind of cheese- the Mozzarella here gave the gratin a slightly chewy and almost rubbery texture. Ina recommends Gruyère cheese for this recipe.