I've always been ambivalent on zucchini cake and bread, but this is one I actually get excited about eating. Once upon a time we lived next door to some really awesome people who got to be our friends, and they shared this cake with us one August. She didn't remember where she got the recipe, but no matter -- I liked it so much that I immediately went looking for something like it and came across this one on Epicurious. I made it for a potluck party soon after and I'm pretty confident I found the same recipe because it was just as good as what my neighbor made for us. The chocolate chips and walnuts on the top really make it special.
Most recently, I made it and shared it with my current neighbors to thank them for something nice they did for me. :)
Notes:
- The recipe says to make it in a 9x13 inch pan, but I have successfully made this in 8x8" glass and metal pans, bread loaf pans (usually around 9x5"), and bundt cake pans, as well as in cupcake tins (about 25 minutes I think). Shorten the baking time, watch closely and test it as you would the regular cake until you figure out how long it takes.
- If you have a particularly large zucchini, you may want to peel it anyway because the skin on really big ones can get tough. Also make sure that you scoop out the middle to remove large seeds before you start grating. (This may be obvious to some people but the first time I made zucchini bread I didn't know that I should do that and the bits of seeds in the bread were unpleasant.)
Verdict: This is one zucchini dessert that's worth your time.
RECIPE: Chocolate Zucchini Cake
