Zucchini In My Cake (recipe)

In my quest to completely eliminate wheat, dairy and eggs from my diet (see why HERE ) I have taken to flipping through my cherished 3 ringed binder full of family favourite recipes to see what I can re-invent.
One of my favourites is Chocolate Zucchini Cake, passed on to me from my Mom during the summer of 2005 when my eagerness to produce a lovely vegetable garden resulted in a Zucchini overgrow. After many deliveries of giant Zucchini's to my neighbours I was still left with a pile of my own to deal with. I made every Zucchini recipe I could find and was not at all surprised when my husband banned me from growing Zucchinis the following summer.

The fruits (veggies) of my labour

This weekend I decided to turn this yummy Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipe into one that I can eat, one my husband and kids would enjoy as well. So with a few tips from my Twitter friend Maggie, who has a very resourceful Gluten Free baking and living website, I was on my way.
 ( Maggie's great recipes & tips are at She Let Them Eat Cake  )


My biggest concern about re-inventing this recipe was that in knowing how delicious the original flavour of the cake was, my altered one would not compare. I was up for the challenge anyway. Yes it does taste a bit different, it is not as moist and a little less sweet but overall is still very similar and I'm loving it. The most important part is that it passed the husband and kid test with flying colours. They are begging for more.

So here you go:

Chocolate Zucchini Cake (my style)

They look and taste as good as brownies

You'll need:

1/2 cup canola oil

1 3/4 cup sucanat (un-refined)

(Maggie suggested I could also use Evapourated cane sugar - refined but not bleached)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce  

......

2 3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour 

(I used a brand I got at No-Frills called Bobs Red Mill)

5 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

....

1/2 cup almond milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

(I don't peel mine because I like the look of the little green flecks in the cake, but unpeeled is a better way to conceal the fact that there are vegetables in the cake)

....

Handful of chocolate chips and chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Pre-Heat oven to 350 º 

In large bowl add canola oil, sucanat, & applesauce, mix well.

In separate bowl mix, flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda & powder, stir together and add to the wet mixture.

Blend well.

Stir in almond milk, vanilla, and grated zucchini.

Pour into greased 9x13 or 10x10 pan

Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts on top

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes. 

Let cool, cut into squares & serve. 

Enjoy :)