Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

So today is the first day of the new year and most food blogs will be posting lighter, healthier recipes, but not me... I give you CAKE! 

But wait a minute... if you think about it, this is a single layer cake made with greek yogurt and shredded zucchini, and the frosting is just a thin layer of ganache... so basically, this really is a lighter, healthier recipe!!  Glad to do my part - you're welcome.

Start with shredded zucchini (or half and half, shredded zucchini and shredded yellow squash).  Thankfully, good zucchini is available throughout the year.

Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder (I use dark cocoa), baking powder, baking soda, and fine salt together in a large mixing bowl. 

Note - sugar is usually considered a "wet" ingredient, but this is a casual cake that is easily mixed together by simply stirring, so no biggie.  You could even throw all the ingredients in one bowl and call it a day if you wanted to.

But I like to mix the wet and dry stuff separately and then combine them, but I digress.

Here are the wet ingredients - eggs, canola oil, greek yogurt, and pure vanilla extract.

Whisk to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry.

Stir to combine.

Lastly, stir in the shredded zucchini (and shredded squash if using).

Before you pour the cake batter in the pan, be sure to coat the pan with baking spray - the kind that contains flour and oil.  This stuff is the bomb and I never bake a cake without it - helps your cakes release from the pan every single time!!  Great stuff.

And here's another tip that's completely unnecessary, but wow does it make a difference.  Wrap your pan with insulated baking strips so they rise evenly and don't develop a hump in the middle while baking.  Seriously, I use them for every layer cake I bake.  From simple snack cakes to large wedding cakes.  I never have to trim the tops of my layer cakes.

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• 8x8-inch professional cake pan https://amzn.to/3NvTeQb

• Baker's Joy https://amzn.to/3PAg1x4

• insulated baking strips https://amzn.to/3r70oDd

• box grater https://amzn.to/3NoKMCq

• offset spatula https://amzn.to/434OIOm

• black cocoa powder https://amzn.to/447bZ3F

• very best pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3ovS9fE

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CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI SNACK CAKE

makes one 8x8-inch cake (can be doubled and baked in a 9x13-inch pan)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder, sifted (darkest you can find, like black cocoa)

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 1 large egg

• 6 tablespoons plain greek yogurt

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons hot brewed coffee (or hot water)

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup shredded zucchini (or substitute up to half yellow summer squash)

Ganache:

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 4 ounces heavy cream

Directions

To make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, spray metal cake pan with Baker's Joy, and wrap pan with insulated baking strips (optional, but they keep the cake from forming a hump in the middle).

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, greek yogurt, oil, coffee, and pure vanilla extract.

4. Pour wet mixture into bowl containing the dry ingredients and mix well; add shredded zucchini and stir until combined.

5. Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

6. Remove from oven and cool completely before topping with ganache.

To make the ganache:

1. Place chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl; set aside.

2. In a medium heavy-bottom saucepan, heat cream until just before it reaches the boiling point (small bubbles will form around the edges).

3. Remove cream from heat and pour over chocolate.

4. Let the chocolate and cream steep together for 2 minutes, then whisk gently until the two combine and become shiny, dark, and glossy.

5. When cake is completely cool, pour ganache over cake; use an offset spatula to spread evenly.

6. Chill cake until service. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Mocha Snack Cake (and a cake tip)

Have you had the pleasure of tasting Biscoff Spread yet?  I've been hoping our local grocery stores would start carrying it for more than 2 years now and I finally stumbled upon it a few weeks ago.  I quickly grabbed some and headed home to see if all the fuss I'd read about was true.  I'm happy to report, IT WAS!!!  If you're familiar with Biscoff Cookies, you already know that amazing butter-cinnamon-caramel flavor.  Now imagine it as a soft, creamy spread.  Insanely good, I tell you.  Insane!   I made the mistake of letting one of the teens taste my glorious find, but then I noticed the contents of the jar disappearing at an alarming rate so I had to move it into protective custody. 

Anyway, Biscoff Spread is soft, sweet, and spreadable, making it a perfect no-fuss substitute for frosting on my mocha version of this super simple chocolate mocha snack cake - a one-bowl recipe that bakes in about 35 minutes. 

There’s a reason why this cake is a family favorite! Don’t forget to check out the bottom of this post to see how I bake my cakes without a big hump in the middle.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• Biscoff spread https://amzn.to/3cfKmgx

• 8x8 cake pan w/lid https://amzn.to/3d1a5rQ

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/2K2Ao5P

• dutch-processed cocoa powder https://amzn.to/3f4e1Le

• chocolate covered espresso beans https://amzn.to/2HTUfCB

• insulated cake strips https://amzn.to/42cHlVQ

• mad hungry cookbook https://amzn.to/2uLY1p0

• baker’s joy baking spray https://amzn.to/2YL8xKG

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Chocolate Mocha Snack Cake w/Biscoff Frosting

Printable Recipe

serves 9-12

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon table salt

• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

• 1 cup freshly brewed coffee (or hot water)

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup Biscoff Spread

• chocolate covered coffee beans for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Prepare an 8x8-inch square cake pan with Baker's Joy baking spray.

3. If you want your cake to bake without an ugly hump in the middle, wrap the pan with a moistened insulated baking strips (see photos below).

4. In a medium bowl, combine all the cake ingredients and mix just until incorporated.

5. Pour the batter into a prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Remove cake from oven and place on a rack to cool completely; about 2 hours.

7. To decorate the cake, use an offset spatula to spread the Biscoff in a thin, even layer on top of the cake.

8. Garnish with chocolate covered coffee beans.

Notes

• This cake is great served at room temperature, but it's also excellent chilled (that's the way I like to enjoy it).

• Cake batter can also be used to make 24 cupcakes.

adapted from Lucinda Scala Quinn

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Now for my tip:

See this cake?  It was baked in a naked cake pan.  Kind of sad looking, don't you think?  The edges of the cake are over baked and dry, and the center of the cake puffed into a huge hump.

Why does this happen?  Because a naked cake pans heat very quickly in the oven, causing the batter along the edges to bake and set long before the batter in the center of the pan.

To avoid the hump issue, simply wrap the pan with a moistened insulated baking strip before popping it in the oven.

So why do the insulted baking strips make such a difference?  They keep the cake pan temperature in check which allows all of the batter to bake at the same rate, resulting in a even layer.

See?  This is exactly the same cake recipe, but look how nice and even it baked.  The sides are as high as the middle.  No Hump!

And here's what that beautifully even cake looks like when plated.  Professional, no?  Needless to say, I highly recommend using insulated baking strips.  Happy Baking!

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