Zucchini Has Its Day

This week it was finally time to do something with the accumulation of zucchini and crook neck squash that has been taking over my refrigerator.

I scrubbed 7 zucchini and 3 squash and shredded them.

… and shredded … and shredded … and ….

Let’s just say it was a big job, involving a lot of shredding.

I squeezed as much liquid as I could from the mass of shredded zucchini and then left it in a colander-lined bowl to continue draining for a couple of days in the refrigerator.

Finally, it was time to pack it up. I ended up with 13 one-cup bags of zucchini to put in the freezer.

I really like how this Golden Delight Zucchini looks. I think it will be much more appealing in recipes, even less noticeable (for those pesky picky eaters), than the standard green-skinned zucchini .

I’m going to enjoy pulling these pre-measured packets from the freezer to make all things zucchini throughout winter. I can add it to soups and casseroles for an extra bit of nutrition, make zucchini muffins and zucchini cookies, maybe I’ll even make some zucchini bread to give away at Christmas.

The first order of business, though, is to make Chocolate Zucchini Cake. I haven’t had it for many, many years and I’m pretty sure that it is one of the keys to a happy life.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

• 2¹⁄₄ cups sifted all-purpose flour
• ¹⁄₂ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ³⁄₄ cups sugar
• ¹⁄₂ cup butter, room temperature
• ¹⁄₂ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¹⁄₂ cup buttermilk (substitution: put 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice in regular milk)
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Prepare a 9×13 pan by coating the inside (bottom and sides) with butter & flour.
• Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, & salt into a medium-sized bowl.
• Beat sugar, butter, & oil in a larger bowl until well blended.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Mix in vanilla.
• Add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk.
• Stir in shredded zucchini.
• Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
• Bake about 50 minutes, test for doneness with a toothpick.
• Cool cake in pan.