COOKING WITH CLORIS -- CHOCOLATE CHIP ZUCCHINI BUNDT CAKE

Forget the zucchini bread. Today Cloris offers up something much more chocolaty and a whole lot sweeter for some of that zucchini you’re still harvesting or froze. -- AP

CHOCOLATE CHIP ZUCCHINI BUNDT CAKE

6 Tbsp. cocoa

2 Tbsp. butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs 

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups grated zucchini, packed

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray bundt pan with non-stick baking spray with flour.

Set aside 1/8 cup flour. Combine remaining flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. Mix together cocoa, butter, and sugar. Beat in eggs, oil, and vanilla. Blend in grated zucchini. Add flour mixture.

Toss chocolate chips with remaining flour. This helps keep chocolate chips from all sinking to the bottom of the cake batter once the cake is in the oven. Fold chocolate chips into batter.  Pour batter into prepared bundt pan.

Bake for about 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean.

Let cake cool for several minutes, then unmold onto cake plate to finish cooling. Dust with confectioner’s sugar.

You’ll think you’ve died and gone to chocolate heaven after tasting this recipe, readers. So who’s hauling out the mixer? Post a comment to enter the drawing for a copy of a book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP