This is one of my all-time favourite cakes. It is not too sweet but wonderfully moist. It has the finest crumb but you get the texture of the zucchini. It is totally satisfying and extremely moorish. I really love eating this cake.
If you are a food snob, this recipe is NOT for you. I add local, ordinary milk chocolate to the cake and I make the ganache with local, ordinary milk chocolate. I believe it balances the tastes, but feel free to add a 70% cocoa chocolate if you wish.
240g flour
60g cocoa powder
15ml bicarbonate of soda
2,5ml baking powder
2,5ml salt
110g butter at room temperature
180g sugar
5ml vanilla extract
5ml coffee granules
3 eggs
350g zucchini, grated
150g milk chocolate, roughly chopped into chunky pieces
150g milk chocolate
300g cream
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Grease a 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin.
Mix the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down once or twice.
With the machine on low speed, add the vanilla, coffee granules and eggs. Beat well in between each addition.
Now, reserve about 120g of the flour mixture and set it aside.
Add the rest of the flour mixture to the egg mixture with the machine on low speed.
Add the grated zucchini and chopped chocolate to the reserved flour mixture and lightly mix it through. The aim is to cover the zucchini and chocolate with flour. Break up any lumps that may form by pushing lightly onto it with a spoon.
Fold the zucchini mixture into the cake batter.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the batter with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Transfer the cake to a cooling rack for 10 minutes before running a sharp knife around the edge of the cake. Remove the cake ring and allow the cake to cool completely
Milk chocolate ganache:
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and add it to a glass bowl.
Pour the cream onto the chocolate.
Fill a small saucepan onto which the glass bowl can fit with 5-6 cm of water. Turn on the heat and bring the water to a simmer.
Now put the glass bowl onto the saucepan. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
Allow the mixture to warm up, stirring occasionally until the chocolate has melted completely.
Remove from the heat and put the bowl onto a dry tea towel.
Beat the mixture by hand so that it can cool down. If you become tired, leave the ganache to stand and return 5 minutes later to beat again. You need a thick, smooth, cool mixture to pour onto the cake. All lumps can be removed by beating the ganache vigorously by hand.
Once the ganache is cool enough and the cake has cooled completely, you may pour the ganache onto the cake.
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