Double Chocolate Zucchini Walnut Cake for a Crowd

One of the problems with a food blog is that I rarely make a really great recipe repeatedly because, well, I've already posted it. I'm always looking for new recipes. But this time, I'm revisiting a recipe that we loved and everyone wanted again. But I turned it on it's head a little bit by making enough to share.

Our zucchinis are coming in fast and thick. This is the time of year when you're thrilled to use the zucchinis that hid from you and grew a little bit too big. This recipe uses three cups of shredded zucchini, which equates to one large zucchini. If you don't have a garden (or a neighbor with one), buy a couple of ordinary zucchinis to make this cake.

I love that the food processor speeds up this recipe. Of course, you don't have to have one. You can shred the zucchini and finely chop the walnuts by hand.

This isn't a super sweet cake. You'll note that it doesn't have a frosting, either. It's very chocolatey, though, and the flavor of the walnuts is strong. I recommend serving it with ice cream or whipped cream.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Walnut Cake

1 9x13 baking pan

2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups walnuts
3 cups shredded zucchini, one large zucchini or two small
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee
3 teaspoons warm water
1 tablespoon vanilla
12 tablespoons unsalted butter + extra for greasing pan
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk
3/4 cups chocolate chips
powdered sugar
whipped cream or ice cream for serving

Preheat oven to 350. Grease pan with butter.

In a food processor, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and walnuts. Pulse until walnuts are so fine they have disappeared. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Replace blade with shredding disk in the food processor. Shred the zucchini. Set aside. Krista's hint: Take 30 seconds to rinse the parts of the food processor so you don't have to soak them later.

Dissolve the coffee in the warm water. Add the vanilla. Cream the butter with the sugars, and beat in the eggs and yolk. Add the coffee mixture and beat. Add the flour mixture one heaping quarter cup at a time on medium speed. After every few additions of flour, increase the speed to high to combine before adding more flour at medium speed. Stir in the zucchini and the chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes. The middle shouldn't wobble too much and the top will have puffed up and cracked. Cool on a baking rack.

To serve, dust each piece with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Before walnuts are incorporated.

Walnuts have disappeared!

Shred zucchini.

 

Add zucchini to batter.

After baking.

Chocolate Walnut Zucchini Cake

The celebration continues! Thank you to everyone who has submitted photographs to our contest! They are amazing. We are in awe of your creativity, and we love all the wonderful dogs and cats who posed for you. Thank you so much! It's not over, of course, until midnight Thursday. Five people will win our fun tote bag and seven books!

All you have to do is submit a photo in one of five categories:

1. One of our books with a cat
2. One of our books with a dog
3. One of our books having summer fun
4. One of our books in a library
5. One of our books in a bookstore.

Enter the contest or just enjoy the delightful photos at http://a.pgtpb.me/R2rT6.

This is also a first. Contrary to appearances, we don't just blog about cakes here at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen! I think the unbroken succession of cakes proves that we gravitate toward cakes when we're celebrating. No doubt something that is ingrained in us as children, beginning with festive birthday cakes.

I was determined not to bake a cake for today. But the zucchini plants in the garden just keep producing! I have cooked zucchini every which way you can imagine. But not as a cake. And I kept running into recipes for chocolate zucchini cake. So I broke down and made my own version.

We loved the zucchini walnut muffins that I baked a few weeks ago, so I knew that walnuts worked well with zucchini. I deepened the chocolate flavor with a hint of coffee, and added dark brown sugar. I dusted the top with powdered sugar instead of icing it. Honestly, it's so rich and moist that it doesn't need frosting.

Krista's Chocolate Zucchini Walnut Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts

2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1-2 zucchini)

1/2 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter + extra for greasing pan
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso
2 teaspoons warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate chips

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 10-inch springform pan with butter.

In a food processor, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and walnuts. Pulse until the walnuts have disappeared. Pour out into a bowl and set aside.

Use the shredding disk in the food processor to shred the zucchini. Set aside.

Dissolve the coffee in the water. Cream the butter with the sugars, and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the coffee and the vanilla and beat. Slowly add the flour mixture. The batter will be thick. Mix in the zucchini and stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Cool on a baking rack. When cool, dust with powdered sugar.

Walnuts disappear into the flour and cocoa.

Before baking.

Let it cool before adding powdered sugar.

We're still giving away a book each day, too! Today we're giving away Mystery Lovers' Kitchen's alum Elizabeth Spann Craig's SHEAR TROUBLE! It won't be out until August 5th, but Elizabeth will ship it to you as soon as she has her hands on it! To enter, leave a comment here today before midnight.

Good luck!