Mmmm, look at this moist, chocolatey cake; so full of deep chocolate flavor, covered with sticky dark chocolate ganache….and filled with….zucchini…?!?! Yep, you read correctly – zucchini.  I know it sounds disgusting, but you’ve all had or heard of zucchini bread, right?  Well, there’s really not much of a difference – using it in a sweet, spiced quick  bread or baking it into a chocolate cake – it’s all the same!  And believe me when I tell you you can’t even tell the zucchini’s in there; no, seriously!  I first saw this on The Repressed Pastry Chef and it looked so good I had to get the recipe.  And then I saw it again…and again…food bloggers all over the place have been making this cake lately!  I figured I needed to make it ASAP and see what all the fuss was about.  I’m so glad I did, too! This was an amazing cake – the most moist (moistest??) chocolate cake I think I’ve ever had…and like I said before, there isn’t even the slightest hint of anything out of the ordinary.  I know what you’re thinking – if you can’t even tell it’s there, why put it in?? Am I right?? 😉  I wondered the same thing, but Em over at The Repressed Pastry Chef told me that it adds a ton of moisture – boy was she right! And the great thing is, you don’t use all that much butter – the zucchini makes it plenty moist.  You might still be thinking “eww..”, but you’re just going to have to trust me when I say that this cake is absolutely and completely delicious.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
-The Repressed Pastry Chef

For the Cake
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa
2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional but tasty
2 cups shredded zucchini (about one 10″ zucchini, about 12 ounces)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For the Icing
3/4 cup heavy cream
9 ounces chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly coat a 9″ x 13″ pan with baking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, oil, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the eggs.
Stir in the sour cream or yogurt alternately with the flour. Then add the cocoa and espresso powder, mixing until smooth. Finally, fold in the zucchini and 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 35 – 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a rack.
To prepare the frosting, heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Wait 3-5 minutes then stir to combine. It will thicken as it cools… when warm (but not hot) pour over cake and smooth with offset spatula. Allow frosting to set for about 30 minutes before serving… or not 😉

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