That was John's reaction when he tasted the zucchini cake I made. I had two slightly large zucchini sitting in the refrigerator that needed to be used before I pick eight or ten more this week. I didn't want to go to the store for the extra ingredients I needed for a zucchini quiche, so I decided to make a zucchini cake.
I was hungry for chocolate, so I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. While I was mixing the cake, I remembered some Mexican fudge that Ryan had raved about. I quickly looked at a few Mexican chocolate cake recipes and because I like to live on the wild side (not really, I just wanted to try something different), I added 1 teaspoon of chili pepper, and 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. When I tasted the batter, it seemed like it was missing some cinnamon, so I added a teaspoon of that, too.
My verdict: it's pretty good. It tastes a little bit different, "warmer" in some way, but it really doesn't taste hot or spicy to me. John is not a fan of anything spicy (not even the idea) so he just thinks it's a waste of zucchini and chocolate.
I had a piece after I baked it and decided that some ice cream would really make it perfect.
It did. Part of experimentation is a careful assessment of results, and even though I liked this, I don't think I'll make it again. I was the only one who liked the cake, which means that I've frozen most of it, and will take some to Ryan for his opinion. I like zucchini cake, especially when it's chocolate, but even I can't (and definitely shouldn't!) eat a whole cake by myself. We'll return to more "traditional", i.e, not spicy zucchini dishes later this week. (I won't even put pepper jack cheese in the quiche.)
By the way, if you have a good zucchini recipe, I'd love to hear your suggestions!
The only 3 ways I use zucchini is 1) stir fried/sauteed with butter, garlic as a side, 2) zucchini bread, and 3) in vegetable soup. So no original help here with zucchini! I think that cake looks very good. Men! My husband never wants anything remotely exotic anymore.
ReplyDeleteBoy, you can tell it's early. That should have been, "the only 3 ways I use zucchini ARE". I hate it when I make grammatical errors, LOL.
DeleteI have had zucchini bread but not cake, I would definitely try it though!! My husband would probably like it too.
ReplyDeleteI think the cake sounds wonderful...but I'm a fan of chocolate with chili pepper in it! No zucchini help from me as Fletch doesn't like it (which I'm still try to figure out since he LOVES yellow squash. What is the difference other than color?).
ReplyDeleteMmmmm. I wish I could drop by to share a piece with you! I love chocolate + chili pepper . . . and I'm always up for doings something "new" with zucchini! (I'm lucky because Tom is very supportive of my cooking "experiments" . . . and the spicier the better.)
ReplyDeleteMmmmm is right! I wish I could also share a piece with you! Chocolate and chili pepper are such a glorious combination! I tried "sliced zucchini with parmesan cheese in a muffin tin" over the weekend... with mixed results. I will try them again... but the recipe needs improvement before it is shareworthy!
ReplyDeleteZucchini bread for sure. And years ago I had a recipe for sloppy Joes that replaced half the meat with shredded zucchini. NO ONE NOTICED!
ReplyDeleteI usually put chocolate chips into my zucchini bread, but the next time I make it, I'm going to make the batter chocolate -- I think that sounds fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThis is a family favorite from the Pioneer Woman's site: https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11361/cooking-with-ryan-zucchini-cakes/
ReplyDeleteThanks! I got eight more zucchini yesterday, so I made zucchini fritters with tzatziki sauce. It's one of my favorite things to eat, so I was okay with slaving over a hot stove to make them. This recipe sounds better than the one I used so I'll be trying it later this week. Delicious!
DeleteI like the sound of a spicy zucchini cake and you can't go wrong with chocolate and chili powder!
ReplyDeleteIt was quite good, but I will need to make sure I've got plenty of others who like spicy zucchini cake to share it with next time!
DeleteI would love to have a slice of your cake! The baker I buy from puts mini chocolate chips in her BB and Smith goes crazy for it. I like mine with nuts.
ReplyDeleteI have made zucchini brownies but I imagine they are a variation of the chocolate zucchini cake. I like to stuff them with chopped veggies, bread crumbs, grated Parm. I lightly saute' the veggies first. Then bake them for a bit. Your cake looks and sounds good to me.
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