Thursday 18 February 2010

Zucchini & Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

P1020351
Hi Friends.
My introduction to cooking with Zucchini is a few years old. Earlier I had only heard this name in Sanjeev Kapoor’s show and would wonder how this vegetable will taste like. For me it was a very exotic thing which I would never see… During my college days  I had visited Pune, my father’s maternal aunt who lived there is an excellent cook. Once we had gone to pick some veggies when I asked her to show me this exotic stuff and like an overjoyed kid I was touching them and keeping them in my mind. That was my first intro to stuff like Avocado, Zucchini, parsley, celery… and was wondering when I would use them in my cooking..
I remember when we moved to Mumbai I used to regularly shop in Godrej Nature’s Basket. It used to be one stop shop for all kinds of veggies but more than veggies I would also get attracted by all actors visiting there. I had met actor like Rajat Kapur there(remember Vyomkesh Bakshi ..) and was so surprised seeing him buy a Broccoli like any other normal man….would wonder how simple these glamorous people are in there  real life. When I had visited this store the very first time I was  excited like a child and showing S Gerkins, Zucchini. … It was after then that I  learnt cooking these beautiful vegetables and my experimentation started..
Today’s cake is an amazingly tasty and moist cake which I had bookmarked from King Arthur flour when I had just started blogging. S had picked a huge batch of Zucchini and the minute I saw them I was reminded of this recipe. I have baked this cake and  kept it as a surprise for him. Me and my kids have just fallen in love with this cake. It is so good and the Zucchini  just disappears in the cake.
I am surely going to post more recipes using this amazing vegetable, so watch out..!
P1020354
Ingredients for Cake
2-1/2 cups APF
3/4 cup Cocoa Powder
3/4 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp espresso coffee pwd (optional but gives a great flavour)
2 eggs
2 cups grated Zucchini
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup curds/yogurt
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Method for Cake
Grease a 10” spring form tin. Preheat oven at 170C.
Sift together APF, Cocoa, baking soda, baking pwd.
Cream oil, butter and sugar together. Add eggs one by one and beat it till light. Add the vanilla, salt and mix.
Now gradually add the flour and curds alternately and beat it at low speed. Mix in the coffee pwd too.
Fold in the zucchini and choco chips.
Pour the cake mix in the tin and even the top surface.
Bake for an hour (the original recipe says 30-35 mins but my cake was not even half done till then). After 35 mins cover the cake with an aluminium foil to prevent over darkening.
Let the cake stand in the oven for 5 mins and then remove it on a wire rack. Let it cool a little and then spread the ganache (this should be done in winter as the ganache spreads easily)
P1020344
For Chocolate Ganache-
Bring one cup of cream to boil and to it add 8 ounces of dark chocolate. Mix and cool.
P1020326
P1020327
If You Enjoyed This Post Please Take 5 Seconds To Share It.

55 comments:

Tina said...

Looks delicious and mouthwatering...

Saraswathy Balakrishnan said...

I'm drooling here my dear..looks so yummy for my tummy i guess:)

FH said...

I have heard that Zucchinis make a very moist cake, haven't tried this cake. Ganache to top sounds delish! :)

Unknown said...

Haven't tried cake with zucchini, but I guess it must have come out nice and moist.

Hayley said...

Innovative to use Zucchinis in cake!!looks awesome and colourful!!!

Veggie Hut said...

this looks too good.. very moist..mouth wateing.. i also made a chocolate cake this valentine..

cheers

Pari Vasisht said...

Dear A2Z may be pics are not doing justice but let me guarantee u that the cake is amazingly moist and my kids are in love with it.
Ashaji this is surely ur kind of stuff.
Thanks Tina, jagruti, Jyoti and saraswathy.

Simplyfood said...

Cake looks very moist and soft.

Parita said...

I too wanted to try out chocolate and zucchini bread but was very skeptical about the taste...your cake has come out fantastic..does zucchini flavor dominates the cake?

Pari Vasisht said...

Parita u must try this one, u can't even make out the there's Zucchini in it and it's so soft that it just melts in the mouth.
Thanks Simplyfood

Sailaja Damodaran said...

Really mouthwatering.....

Nithya said...

Yummy and creamy.. chocolate is so tempting.

PJ said...

Zucchini and chocolate cake is such a unique combination! I wonder too what to make with zucchini so I am looking forward to more zucchini recipes from you.

So true, for some reason you just cant imagine a 'celebrity' doing mundane things like buying broccoli. A friend over here lived in the same city as Madhuri Dixit and was so surprised to see that she drops her kid off to school everyday :)

Sushma Mallya said...

wow cake looks superb and so moist,love the ganache recipe too...must try adding zucchini once...thanks for the lovely recipe pari

Namitha said...

Cake looks so moist and soft..love ganache frosting...

Swathi said...

Pari,

Cake looks really moist and soft.

Justin said...

i normally don't get too excited by the sound of zucchini cake, but i'd probably love this

Renuka Bedre - Rao said...

yum yum! cake is looking perfect! moist and soft!

Priya Suresh said...

Wowww, lovely cake and a delicious ganache, even i tried out long back a bread with zucchini and chocolate, can guess how this cake would have tasted, feel like having a slice rite now...Beautiful post Pari..

Cham said...

I just want to sink my teeth on that piece! Gorgeous slice!

Anupama said...

Awwwwwesome Pari. I always adore your baking skills. Wherever you got that patience from??!!!

Rajee Mani said...

A very yummy & moist cake Pari...

Deepti said...

This is new to me...luks gud n rich.

Sumi said...

The cake looks super moist, exactly my kind of cake.Zucchini chocolate cake has been in my 'to bake' list for ever, but never got to make it.

Darius T. Williams said...

This looks super moist - just the way I like my cake!

Sandhya Hariharan said...

Zucini is still a new vegie to me.. Infact I have never bought.. Need to buy them and try :)

Delicious cake... I always love ganache frosting.. I had made them a few months back and posted it too :)

Gita Jaishankar said...

Very lovely and delicious cake dear...looks superb :)

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

wow - yummy cake! love it!

rachel said...

I made a similar one and I loved it.

Khaugiri said...

Yummy....Sounds interesting....nakki try karen:)

notyet100 said...

cake looks so yummy,..

Aparna said...

luks delicious..too much tempting.

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Wow looks so so so yumm... delicious and moist...

lubnakarim06 said...

Wow....that's an yummy cake...love that ganache.....

nandini said...

Certainly looks moist... choco cake with all the gananche on top is making me crave for one!.

Nandinis food said...

Cwake with ganache! Slurrrrrp! I'm a lover of chocowate! Gwive the whole pwiece to me! I'll shware it with my famiwy! :3

priya said...

delicious and mouth watering!

ruchikacooks said...

Cake looks so delicious..

Pari, I am posting 3 entries for combo event today. But I am not able to get the logo and you have said it is a must..can you send it to my email or is it ok that I dont put it.

Suresh said...

Wow. And yess, it was yummy :-)

Jaishree Iyer said...

Looks delicious & tempting.. Lovely click!

Siddhi Shirsat said...

wow pari this cake luks super yummy...innovative way of adding this vegy in cake

Deepa G Joshi said...

so rightly said, that some veggies are still not known to many people..and when you find theses you are so happy .. :)

Zucchini and chocolate what a lovely combo it is..Does it change the taste of the cake though? Love the frosting.. yum yum

www.foodlyrics.com

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Been ages since I have made Ganache... The cake looks adorable and yummy!!! Love the side view which shows how well the cake looks mmm oh I just wanna have some!!!

http://memoryarchieved.blogspot.com

Pari Vasisht said...

Thanks Siddhi try this one and you will fall in love.I am reminded so much of Nigella Lawson everytime I dig in this cake..LOL
Thanks Ramya I am glad my cake pic could make u crave for it.
Deepa rest assured the zucchini has no great flavours of it's own so does not overpower the cake but surely adds to it's moistness.
Ruchika just click enter on the pic and then u can copy it.

Unknown said...

looks delicious..lovely colour..

Raks said...

Looks sinful! I have to see if I could bake cakes like this after some days :)

Preety said...

love using zucchini in desserts , your cake looks do delicious

Shri said...

Wonderful and sinful Pari..I love cakes with ganache frosting..Irresistible!

Recipeswap said...

Ive seen this cake in many blogs and always wanted to try it....Looks good and extremely moist and dense just the way I like it.

ARUNA said...

Nice n tempting yaa...i've always been a fan of chocolate and this one looks just perfect!

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Drooling here...looks yummy yumm.

Chitra said...

Looks delicious..i shud start baking soon ;)

Katy ~ said...

I smile because we can grow zucchini in such abundance here that people often leave it anonymously in open cars in the summer time just to get ride of it. It is a vegetable very much taken for granted here, often ignored for something more "exotic". I am glad to see this chocolate and zucchini post, for the zucchini does make for a very moist cake and does, as you say, disappear into the cake. I happen to love zucchini, and am reminded that I have not made zucchini bread in absolute ages.

You have delighted me and made my heart smile, to see anew what I take for granted. Bless you.

s said...

looks LOVELY!!!

Meena said...

Hi there, great to see you on my space...will surely be following your recipes to see more creative ones like this post!!!

Keep posting about zucchini...am always looking for recipes using it!!!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails