Zucchini & Fair Trade Chocolate Cake

This favourite cake recipe is in time for Valentine's Day.  It is a good conversation piece as it combines local, organic and Fair Trade ingredients and you are eating your vegetables!

The original is from The Canadian Living Cookbook by Carol Ferguson that was published in 1987.  Page 239 if you have it.  My copy was purchased for 20 bucks when I was at the University of Toronto.

I usually use my garden zucchini in this cake.  It helps keep it moist and delicious.  I am all out of my grated zucchini that I froze from last summer's garden so I used a few remaining patty pan squash.  These little UFO type summer squash are shown on the vine below.  I had two left sitting in the cold north window in the kitchen.  I not only wanted to use them up but I also want to get the seeds dried for planting.  Worth growing again as they keep so well (i.e., October through to February).  I have also used grated carrots and beets with good success.

Serve the cake plain, iced, dusted with organic confectioners’ sugar, or with nestled with frozen or fresh raspberries around it.  I used the chocolate glaze with organic almonds but it is very good with the raspberries.  The glaze comes together without much effort.  It does contain an egg so store any leftover cake in the fridge. 

ORGANIC INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs, medium
1 cup (250 ml) brown sugar or honey - I used Wholesome Sweeteners
2 cups (500 ml) grated zucchini or summer squash
3/4 cup (175 ml) plain yogurt
1/2 cup (125 ml) walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) oil
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla - I used Frontier Natural Products
2 cups (500 ml) flour, whole wheat
1/3 cup (85 ml) cocoa powder, unsweetened, Cocoa Camino*
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) salt - original asked for 1 tsp

Glaze:
2 Tbsp (30 ml) butter, soft
2 oz (60 g) chocolate chips, Cocoa Camino
1 egg, medium - I used local eggs that are also organic
1 cup (250 ml) icing sugar, SIFTED
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla

METHOD:
1.  Beat eggs with brown sugar.  Add grated zucchini, sour cream, nuts, oil and vanilla and mix well.
2.  Mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.  Blend into the zucchini batter.
3.  Pour batter into a greased cake pan that is 9 x 13 inches.  I usually make two round layers in my cake pans so I can stack them and put icing between the layers.  Bake in 350'F oven for 35 minutes or until tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool.
4.  To make the glaze melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan.  Whisk in sugar, egg and vanilla, beating until smooth.  Spread over cooled cake and decorate.

NUTRITION FACTS (per 60 g slice - cake cut in 24 - do I hear you laughing?): 190 calories, 9 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 125 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 2 g fibre, 16 g sugar, 4 g protein.  % Daily Values are 2% vitamin A, 4% vitamin C and calcium, 6% iron.  %DV are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.