Friday, August 07, 2009

A zucchini cake that is NOT chocolate

This is the last of my Zucchini Week recipes.
My daughter recommended this recipe from the inimitable Pioneer Woman's blog.
I was going to make it, so I could share a picture and some firsthand testimonials, but I am tired, so all you get today is a recipe.
However, it looks delish! Let me know if you try it out before I do.
(lame! I know! but I gotta run, Women's Weekend is this weekend)
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (can Use All White Flour If You Don't Have This)
1-¼ cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Sweetened Flaked Coconut
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
Freshly Grated Nutmeg, To Taste (1/4 To 1/2 Tsp?), Optional
1 Pinch Ginger (about 1/16 Tsp Or So), Optional
3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
2 whole Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Cups Grated (unpeeled) Zucchini (*see Note)
1 (20 Oz.) Can Crushed Pineapple In Juice, Drained (reserve In Case You Need It For The Cake Batter Or The Frosting)

FROSTING
2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
8 Ounces Low-fat Cream Cheese, Softened (can Use Full-fat Cream Cheese)
2 Cups Powdered Sugar, Approx.
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Splash Of Milk Or Pineapple Juice, If Necessary
Chopped Walnuts Or Pecans (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
Combine oil, eggs, and vanilla; stir well. Stir egg mixture, grated zucchini, and pineapple into flour mixture. Batter will be stiff and dry but keep folding it and it will all come together. If it still seems too dry, just add a little splash of the pineapple juice.
Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for about 33-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs and cake is pulling away from sides of pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare frosting, combine butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla just until smooth. Add a splash of milk or pineapple juice if necessary. Spread frosting over top of cake. You can garnish with chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired.
NOTES : If your zucchini are huge, scrape the seeds out of the center before you shred it so it’s not too watery. Also, I spread it all out on layers of paper towel to drain it and dry it off a bit. Then I measure out 2 cups. Not sure if this is critical though. Nuts can also be added to the cake batter if desired. This recipe makes a very generous amount of frosting.
And this recipe can be turned into a Carrot Cake just by substituting shredded carrots for the zucchini.

5 comments:

donna said...

I haven't tried this recipe but I often read the Pioneer Woman's blog. The idea of making it into a carrot cake is a good one. Enjoy your WW weekend.

Laurie and Chris said...

Love that you are posting all kinds of Zucchini recipes. I thought I would share our families favorite with you.


Zucchini Casserole

2# squash,peel, dice, cook about 10 minutes.

Drain, season lightly with salt and pepper.
2 grated carrots
1 diced onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sharp cheese, diced

Crumb Mixture
1 8oz bag Pepperidge Farm Herb Crumb Stuffing
1 stick melted oleo (margarine or butter)
Toss crumbs and margarine.

Add 3/4 of crumb mixture to squash mixture.

Sprinkle remaining crumbs over top
Bake 25-30 minutes at 375

This makes a 9x13 pan and it can be frozen before baking. It is a great pot luck dish and always makes a hit.

Muum said...

thanks for the recipe! It looks tasty!

motherof8 said...

I am just a simpleton. I like zucchini best with a little too much butter, garlic salt, and pepper.

However, you week of recipes has been fun. Someday I may even try some.

Kylee Baumle said...

Ohhhh, this one looks YUMMY! We DO have lots of carrots, so I think I'll try that version until I manage to procure some zucchini!