Nutty Zucchini Bread

 Hey ya'll!!!!  Everyone doing ok in the midst of our world crisis?  You are all constantly in my prayers for your health and safety.  Speaking of health.....

Someone gave me zucchini.  It is a fear of mine EVERY. SINGLE. SUMMER.  It is 3rd on my list of "omgosh what if they share" only to squash and eggplant.  I have tried, I HAD to as a kid, as an adult,my answer is "just say no".  Don't try to hide it, puree it (looking for the puking emoji) or attempt to pass it off in any other creative fashion.  So my husband comes home with said zucchini and if you know how much I refuse to waste food, I pondered.  I pondered and I thought.  I pondered and I thought and I puked in my mouth.  I pondered, I thought, I puked in my mouth and I got myself together.  There has to be a way to use this. I left it on the counter for DAYS.  Now I do have a slight fair for the dramatic.  I got that from my husband and mom.  2 days ago my husband asked me if I had decided what to do with it and I said I had not, but whatever I DID make, he was eating it too!

We decided on bread.  We decided on bread that I had gotten a recipe for from my sister who I swear can make anything into a "bread".  We tried it.  It wasn't horrible but I needed more, I wanted to really not notice the zucchini.  I made it again....we like it, we ate it, we even put one in the freezer for later because we wanted to SAVE IT!  Whaaaaaaaat?  I KNOW!

I also filmed a video which will be linked somewhere here!  If you have not subscribed to my channel on YouTube, please do!  I don't just cook there, I do a little of this, a little of that, etc.  Let's get to baking!

You Will Need:

2.5 cups grated zucchini

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup walnut pieces or any other nut of your choice (lol)

Preheat your oven to 325 F,  This will make 2 loaves of bread.  Spray both loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.  Set them aside.

Mix all ingredients except nuts and flour.  When it is mixed completely add in the flour and nuts.  Mix until just combined!

Divide into 2 loaes and bake for 60-75 minutes!  Let cool completely, and enjoy!  Zucchini bread that doesn't taste like zucchini!

 

ENJOY!

 

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.  And zucchini?!?!  I know, it makes no sense.  I mean it REALLY makes no sense.  A veggie such as this, married with more chocolate than you even knew you could consume?  Fantastic.  And what is better?  MADDIE will eat it!  Maddie wanted to make a cake, and a co-worker of my husbands (thanks Emily!) brought him a zucchini.  I am NOT about letting food go to waste, even if it is a veggie that isn't necessarily my favorite, it is getting consumed, period, end of story.

In my mind, I decided it was ok to convince Maddie this was a "chocolate vegetable".  Because yea, she was going to fall for that.  In fact, I thought she had.  Then when I took video of her saying that, she blurts out that it is a zucchini.  Little rascal knew all along, almost as if she was just appeasing me.  Well, the joke is on her, because it DOES taste like chocolate.......in this cake!  Another way to get your kids to eat a veggie!  Throw in some extra zucchini, they won't be any the wiser.

 
Now with mine, I shredded it using my food processor and then I took half of that, and just used the blade in my processor and zapped it into little bits.  Sometimes kids have a texture more than taste issue and I wanted that to be a non issue.

I also went a slightly different route than the sometimes more "earthy" flavor of a chocolate zucchini cake.  The expresso powder is just enough to make the chocolate even chocolate-ier, and the milk chocolate chips along with the zucchini makes it so moist, it ALMOST doesn't need frosting.........almost.

Enjoy making this cake, it seems like a lot of ingredients but it isn't, and your kids will have fun helping!  

You will need:
1/2 cup softened butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp expresso powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2-3 cups zucchini (half shredded and half zapped in the food processor until it is in small pieces)
10-12 ozs. milk chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.  In a large bowl or bowl of your stand mixer cream together butter and sugar.  Next add in oil, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk.  Mix until a smooth batter is formed.  Set aside.

In another large bowl add in flour, cocoa, expresso powder, baking soda and baking powder.  Mix together until combined.  Pour into liquid ingredients and mix until just combined.  Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.

Pour into your greased 9x13 pan.  Bake for 50-60 minutes.  This takes a bit, but at 50 minutes start checking, mine took longer.  When the cake is set and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean of wet batter remove from the oven.  Start making your frosting immediately!

Frosting:
In a medium saucepan combine:
1/2 cup butter
2 T. unsweetened cocoa
3 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Bring to a boil then turn off the heat and add in vanilla and 3-4 cups of powdered sugar.  Whisk until all combined and the frosting is the consistency of elmers glue.  (good one eh?) Pour over warm cake and let sit until the icing is set on top, about an hour.

Enjoy this delicious dessert, nobody will even KNOW has anything good for them in it!  It is so moist and delicious, get a piece right away or you are going to be waiting for that next zucchini to be ready in your garden to make it again!