A majority of people are fans of chocolate, and here’s a great way of having your vegetables and eating them too! The zucchini in this cake keeps it super moist – so much so it really doesn’t need an ‘icing’. My favourite topping suggestion though – raspberries drizzled with melted dark chocolate.

Ingredients
3 oz fair-trade dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup grapeseed or coconut oil
1 1/4 cups whole grain spelt or kamut flour
1/4 cup carob or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 cup organic butter, softened
1/2 cup sucanat, honey, or maple syrup
¼ cup blackstrap molasses
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup rice, almond, or hemp milk
1 1/2 cups zucchini or summer squash, grated

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan and dust with some unsweetened cocoa powder. Melt the chocolate along with the oil in a double boiler or in a saucepan over low heat, taking care not to scorch. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sweetener until light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and milk, beating until combined. Finally, fold in the chocolate and oil mixture, and the zucchini.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes on a wire rack, then invert it on the rack, remove the pan, and cool completely. May be served plain, drizzled with melted chocolate, or with fresh raspberries nestled around it. Serves 8 to 10. (Can also be made in muffin (18-20 mins) or mini muffin (15-18 min) tins.

Adapted from www.care2.com/greenliving

Nutritional Value of Select Ingredients

Organic Chocolate – Chocolate gets a bad rap, but most of what we think of as “chocolate bars” are little chocolate and lots of processed sugar. But 60-80% dark chocolate has phytochemicals that may help lower cholesterol, decrease inflammation, and lower risks of heart attacks and stroke. Notice the package size – a little bit of chocolate goes a long way. Enjoy in moderation.

Zucchini – As they are 95% water, zucchini are an excellent ‘diet’ food. They have anti-cancer properties, and are particularly beneficial in the summer months because of their high water content (prevents dehydration) and carotenes (to protect against damaging effects of the sun). They are a source of vitamin C, manganese, phytonutrients, and fibre.

Eggs– A perfect food (you can make a whole chicken out of them!), eggs contain protein, unsaturated fats, vitamin A, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, and are quite low in calories.

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