Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This easy slab cake is delicious and moist and has zucchini and olive oil in it...don't worry you would never know it was anything but chocolate cake!

You will need:

• 1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup) at room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup mild extra virgin olive oil- I strongly encourage you to buy really good quality EVOO and use it lavishly!!
• 1 tsp vanilla (or maybe 2 if you like!)
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups finely grated zucchini
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup dark cocoa
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips or 1 great 80 gram chocolate bar - chopped
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 tbsp good vanilla extract or vanilla paste
• 1 tsp gelatin (unflavoured)
• 3 tbsp cold water
• 4-5 tbsp vanilla sugar
• fresh berries 

I used a 3quart/2.8 Litre glass baking dish - its easy to cut on the glass and stores easily in the fridge because the toppping is whipped cream.

Heat oven to 325.

Butter and flour your glass baking dish. Set aside.

Step 1: add room temperature butter and sugars to a stand mixer. If you don't have a stand mixer you can use a hand mixer. Mix until it resembles wet sand.

Step 2: add 3 eggs and mix on medium high for 3 minutes until pale in color.

Step 3: add vanilla ( I make my own) and olive oil and mix until incorporated.

Step 4: add buttermilk and mix well, scrape down bowl at least once.

Step 5: add finely grated zucchini and any liquid that it has into mixer.

Step 6: add dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix with a whisk. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Whisk to blend and make sure cocoa doesn't have any clumps. 

Step 6: add dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix with a whisk. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Whisk to blend and make sure cocoa doesn't have any clumps. 

Step 7: chop chocolate (or just use good quality chips)

Step 8: add dry ingredients to wet and  mix on low speed until just incorporated.

Step 9: I like to mix in the chopped chocolate by hand. This also allows me to scrape the bowl a few more times.

Step 10:  spread and level batter in pan.  

Step 11: bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Step 12:  Sprinkle gelatin over water and let bloom for 3-4 minutes then microwave for 10 seconds. Whip whipping cream with vanilla and sugar and slowly drizzle the gelatin in to the cream. This will stabilize your topping so this can last a day or 2 without getting runny.

Step 13: spread cream over cooled cake and arrange berries as you like and then cut yourself a big slab!!

and don't forget to share with friends!! feed it to kids you will get some vegetables and olive oil in them and they wont even know it!