Zucchini Chocolate Spice Cake with Chocolate Ganache

This past weekend I went to a farmer's market to pick up some fresh, local zucchini and then decided to make this AMAZING cake! It's extremely rich, but absolutely delectable (and so moist!!)! And, of course, vegan.

Here is the recipe, via Ripe From Around Here: A Vegan Guide to Local and Sustainable Eating (No Matter Where You Live) by jae steele, which I altered slightly from the original published recipe. (find the book here, on Amazon.)



Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups grated zucchini (from 1-2 medium zucchini)
• 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare a Bundt pan with cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, spices, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the zucchini until well coated with dry ingredients.
3. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla extract and mix with a silicone spatula just until all the flour has been absorbed. Once smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly - you'll see pale swirls as it reacts with the baking soda. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter.
4. Pour into the cake pan and bake for 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Remove cake from oven and let cool in the pans before removing and icing them.

For the ganache,

Ingredients:

• 3-oz squares semi-sweet chocolate
• 2-oz squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup room temperature non-dairy milk

Directions:

1.   Finely chop the chocolate. Fill the bottom pot of a double-boiler with hot water and place it on the stove on medium heat. Place the chopped chocolate in the top pot of the boiler. Keep a watchful eye on it while it melts, stirring as needed. Once there are no lumps, add non-dairy milk (be sure it's warm) to reach desired drizzling consistency.
2. Turn off the heat and immediately drizzle the ganache somewhat evenly over the cake. Allow to set before serving.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!