Chocolate Mint Zucchini Cake

photo credit: Rebecca Baugniet

Dayle Cosway of Terralicious Gardening and Cooking School offers this fall recipe, saying “zucchini are so easy to grow for those of us with the space to do so and so plentiful and inexpensive for those who choose to buy it at the market. However it arrives at home the zucchini will be much appreciated in this delicious dish”.

Ingredients
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2 ½ medium)
2 tsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
2 ¼ cups sifted all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 ¾ cups sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter and oil in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in three additions each. Mix in grated zucchini and mint. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.

Bake cake until tester inserted into centre comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan.

Serves 8-12.