Name: Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (12½ ounces/354 grams); 1/4 cup (¾ ounce/21 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , softened; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 1 3/4 cups (12¼ ounces/347 grams) sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 cup buttermilk; 2 medium zucchini , seeded and shredded; 3/4 cup (4½ ounces/128 grams) semisweet chocolate chips

Why This Recipe Works

To expel excess moisture and ensure our Chocolate Zucchini Cake didn’t turn out a soggy mess, we grated zucchini on a box grater, then wrung it out in a clean dish towel. We found we could also shred and freeze the zucchini in recipe-ready portions as long as we thawed and strained it before mixing it into the batter. We used the creaming method to develop structure and height in the cake: Beat the fats and sugar together before adding the wet and dry ingredients. Combining baking soda with baking powder provided adequate lift.

Before You Begin

A medium zucchini weighs about 8 ounces, so you'll need 1 pound of zucchini for this recipe.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in bowl. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, oil, and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Stir in zucchini, then pour mixture into prepared pan.

Top batter with chocolate chips and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve.