Chocolate Orange Zucchini Cake

 

 

Makes one bundt pan

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

1 C butter

2 C sugar

3 eggs

2 t vanilla

½ C milk

3 C grated zucchini (grate, squeeze out excess water, packed)

1 T orange zest

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Glaze

1 C chocolate chips

1/4 C butter

¼ C buttermilk

1 t vanilla

2 C powdered sugar

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees  or 325 degrees for a convection oven. Spray cooking spray into a Bundt pan.

2.     In a medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

3.     In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla and milk to the butter mixture. Stir in dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Fold in zucchini, orange zest, and nuts.

4.     Pour into prepared Bundt cake pan. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze

 

Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a medium pan.  Add the butter milk.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Adjust the thickness of the glaze by adding more buttermilk or more powdered sugar. The glaze should be the correct consistency to pour onto the cake and then to spread it around. Glaze the cake three times with thin coats, allowing 15 minutes between coats.