I always know we're in the height of summer, when a neighbor drops off a bagful of MEGA-ZUCCHINI on my front porch. Any of you had this happen lately? You know the kind of zucchini I'm talking about--the ones that are like the size of a little tykes baseball bat...so big you're not entirely sure what to do with them.
Whenever I see zucchini like these, I'm aways whisked back to childhood memories of the yummy zucchini breads and deliciously moist chocolate zucchini cake my mom used to make for us when I was a kid. After a friend gave me a batch of king-size zucchini from her parents' garden, I happened to notice this darling little roadside stand along a country road on my way to work the other day.
In other words, it seemed everywhere I turned last week I saw one thing:
ZUCCHINI!
Last night while we were enjoying a Sunday evening at home, my sweet husband was craving something yummy so I decided it was finally time to pull out the grater and the old family recipe and make a bit of chocolate paradise. Kids and veggie-haters alike will fall in love with this cake. The hint of spice in this treat is like a transitional backdrop that somehow prepares both the pallet and the heart for fall traditions that are looming right around the corner.
Feel free to bump up the spices (I added an extra 1/2 tsp cinnamon) and/or the cocoa (I used 3/4 c) a bit if you'd like a more intense flavor in the cake. I was a little short on all-purpose flour so I used cake flour instead and the cake I baked last night turned out extra moist and fluffy.
I hope you enjoy~~eva
Ps. I'm not sure how my mom did it but she actually used to make the most amazing zucchini bread and then can it in wide-mouth Mason Jars. That way, the cupboard was stocked for months to come with a ready-made preservative free after school snack for us kids. It's recalling memories like this that make me realize just how hard my mom worked to make life sweet when I was a child. Thanks Mom!
Ooooooohhhh-thinking of the canned zucchini bread made me do a google search for a recipe and I just found this. I'll ask Mom to compare her recipe (if she still has it) to this one and let you know if I try it out. Anyone have any other good ideas for cooking up these mega squash??
