Have your cake and veggies too with this divine chocolate spice cake! Made with grated carrots and zucchini, this cake is moist and heavenly, and perfectly delicious right out of the oven, while the chocolate chips are still a bit gooey. Or, let it cool and dust it with powdered sugar. Either way … no frosting needed with this magical combination. The zucchini and carrots create a wonderful moistness and texture and the spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice) lend a rich and exotic flavor that complements the chocolate. It’s kind of like your favorite carrot cake, chocolate cake, and spice cake all in one!
Carrot Zucchini Chocolate Spice Cake
We use Dutch Processed cocoa powder for a lot of our baking for two reasons: the first is that we love the rich flavor and darker color better than natural cocoa powder, and the second is the smell is outrageously good. We always go around the kitchen sniffing our ingredients all by themselves before we combine them (same with our fresh ground coffee beans). It’s just a habit and it’s actually really fun. Have you ever sniffed vanilla or almond flavoring before you measure it out? If not, you really should, because the smell is just so wonderful. But, don’t taste it because it is pretty bitter by itself!This cake is also super easy to make once you’ve grated the veggies. It also stores well in the refrigerator for up to 10 days or so.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots peeled first
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
- 6 oz. dark bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup canola oil or 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup applesauce
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar for dusting the top of the cake
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease or spray a 9x13x2 inch baking dish.
- Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, zucchini, and chocolate chips.
- In a separate bowl, beat oil, (or half oil and half applesauce), and eggs until well integrated. Add to dry mixture and stir well until all dries are moistened and the batter is thoroughly mixed.
- Pour batter out into the prepared baking dish and bake for 50-55 minutes. Allow cake to sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting, then dust with powdered sugar and eat while it’s still warm and the chocolate chips are still gooey. This cake is also delicious served cold right from the refrigerator.
