Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Ganache

 You can find zucchini in the weirdest places... breads, muffins, cookies, brownies... cake! These fudgy zucchini brownies are one of our favorites and so I figured that adding zucchini to chocolate cake would certainly go well. Chocolate + zucchini = a random yet inexplicably delicious duo! What zucchini really brings to the relationship is moisture. Nutrients too. But we're eating cake so we're not really worried about that, are we? When it is baked, the shredded zucchini sheds its water and makes sure the cake stays damp (in the best of ways).

I have a hard time eating cake without frosting. The original recipe was frosting-less so after some serious consideration, I decided to top this sheet cake with a chocolate ganache. (And it gave me the opportunity to make something else new!). The ganache is very rich, and while I enjoyed it's fudgy texture on top, it almost overpowers the rest of the cake. If you are going with the ganache, I'd leave out the chocolate chips in the batter. The walnuts are optional either way. The cake is so moist that that frosting it isn't really necessary. But a cold scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is a must!

INGREDIENTS
Cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted before measuring (if you skip this step the cake might turn out too dry)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini
6 oz. (about 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, if you are including the ganache then they aren't necessary)
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional, I omitted)

Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
9 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or semisweet chocolate)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter and flour or lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and oil with an electric mixer until well blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after eat addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Alternate mixing in the dry ingredients and buttermilk in 3 additions each. Stir in the shredded zucchini.

NOTE: You can add the chocolate chips and walnuts to the batter (if using) or sprinkle them on top. If you are topping the cake with the chocolate ganache, you can omit the chocolate chips (or leave them in if you like it extra chocolaty).

4. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

5. To make the chocolate ganache, place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil and then immediately remove from the heat (if you let it boil too long it will overflow the pot), pour over the chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Allow to cool slightly before pouring over the cooled cake. (For a fluffier frosting you can allow it to cool until thick and then whip it until light and fluffy.)

Makes a 9x13 sheet cake.

(Adapted from Bon Appetit)