Zucchini Cake

This simple and delicious Zucchini Cake is a great way to use up an abundance of zucchini from your garden.

Is your garden exploding with zucchini?  Mine isn't, but that's only because I never plant any!  But everyone I know who has zucchini in their garden right now has an abundance of it.  I never mind when people give me a zucchini because I like to shred it up and freeze it to use in the future for baking.  It's great to have zucchini on hand when I want to make zucchini bread, zucchini brownies, zucchini muffins, or this zucchini cake.

I was assigned to Julie's blog, The Texan New Yorker for this month's Secret Recipe Club.  I was excited because her blog is totally new to me, and I love discovering new blogs.  I spent a few hours looking through her recipes and reading her old posts.  Julie's recipes are fantastic and there were so many on my list to make!

Ultimately though, I chose to make this Zucchini Cake because I had just been given some zucchini.  It came together so quickly and used ingredients I already had in the house.  When I cut in and took my first bite, I couldn't believe how moist the cake was and how delicious it was!  Seriously, this cake is so good it doesn't need frosting!  I topped a few pieces with a sprinkle of powdered sugar for the pictures, but the rest of the cake I ate plain.  My parents enjoyed this cake as well, so I know it's one that I'll be making every year when I have zucchini in the house!

I did make a few changes to the original recipe.  First I substituted coconut oil for the canola oil to make it a little healthier.  Then, as I was making the cake, I realized I had only about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar in the house.  I decided to give the cake a try using granulated sugar instead (because I didn't want to go to the store and Summer was napping!), and it worked just fine. Next time I am going to try to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe and use whole wheat flour instead.

Zucchini Cake

Makes 1 9x13" pan, about 15 servings

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups flour
1-1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup melted coconut oil
4 eggs
2 cups shredded zucchini

1.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, sugar, and brown sugar.

2.  Add in the oil and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened.

3.  Add in the eggs and stir until a thick batter forms.

4.  Fold in the zucchini until just combined.  Be careful not to overmix.

5.  Pour the batter into a greased 9x13" baking pan.

6.  Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool completely before serving.  Serve  with a sprinkle of powdered sugar if desired.

Source: The Texan New Yorker

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