Food
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IN SEASON
Chocolate-Zucchini Cake
CHOCOLATE-ZUCCHINI CAKE If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can simply add 1½ teaspoons of lemon juice to regular milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. FOR THE CAKE
½ cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing pans ½ cup vegetable oil 1¼ cups granulated sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ cup buttermilk 2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring pans ¼ cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon table salt ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon cinnamon 2 cups grated zucchini, squeezed to remove excess juice
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FOR THE FROSTING
½ cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar ¹⁄ 3 cup cocoa powder ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ¹⁄ 8 teaspoon table salt 1–2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Grease two standard loaf pans with butter, then sprinkle with f lour to coat. Shake to remove excess. Preheat your oven to 325° and set a rack to the middle position. In a medium bowl, use a handheld or standing mixer to cream the butter, oil, and sugar together for 1 minute, scraping the bottom with a spatula halfway through. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat for an additional minute, scraping once more. Add the buttermilk and beat until blended.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then add to the but ter-sugar mi xt ure. Mi x until evenly combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Stir in zucchini until evenly combined. Divide the batter among the loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the cakes are beginning to pull away from the sides, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool. Now, make the frosting: In a medium bowl, use a standing or handheld mixer to beat the butter with the confectioners’ sugar for 1 minute. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt, and beat for another minute or two. Add enough milk or cream to reach your desired consistency, then spread over the tops of the cooled cakes. Yields 2 loaves. NEWENGLAND.COM