I appreciate Michele's invitation to write as a "guest blogger" on Taste As You Go. I follow her witty twitter comments and enjoy her posts on recipes and adventures in dining. This is a copy of the guest blog I wrote and is posted on taste as you go; http://www.tasteasyougo.com/ Thank you Michelle!
Thinking about being a guest reminded me of my mom's belief "that a guest should never arrive at someones house empty handed." I am not sure if this is indeed some documented etiquette rule or just my mom's personal rule for good manners. Looking back, I remembered this was the time of year that the garden was still spewing an endless parade of squash. My mom went about using it in every way possible. She had this knack for hiding zucchini in baked goods, thus increasing it's nutrition and duping the children.
My mom had a recipe for a delicious Chocolate Cake. She baked it in a fluted pan and drizzled a sticky glaze over the top. It was tender and moist and dense enough that we could eat it with our fingers standing at the kitchen counter. I think she would bake it when we weren't looking so we wouldn't know that it harbored zucchini.
When I asked my mom today, she pulled out the recipe from a bulging tin box, written on a scrap of yellowed paper in her cursive script. The box must shelter more memories as well. Now that the farm is gone and the garden paved for progress, this may spark future trips to that box and my food past!
I hope you enjoy the Zucchini Chocolate Cake whether you are baking out of a garden abundance, or just because it's good. Bring some next time your a guest, because it is polite and my mother said so.
Zucchini Chocolate Cake Ingredients:21/2 cups all purpose flour (sift it yourself)
1/2 cup of cocoa (mom likes American process)
3 eggs (or 2 duck eggs or 1 goose egg)
2 cups of sugar
21/2 teaspoon baking powder
11/2 teaspoon baking soda (use fresh box)
3/4 cup of soft butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons fresh orange zest
2 cups coarse grated zucchini
1/2 cup warm milk
1 cup chopped pecan or walnuts
Glaze2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 or 4 Tablespoons warm milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Directions:Grease and flour 10" tube pan. Preheat oven to 350
Combine all dry ingredients and set aside. Mix butter and sugar with a beater until creamy.
Add 1 egg at a time, beat well.
Stir in vanilla, orange peel and zucchini with a spoon, alternating with dry ingredients. Stir in milk, and nuts.
Pour into prepared pan and bake 45-60 minutes.
Allow to cool to room temperature, turn out of pan.
Mix glaze together adding milk as needed for smooth consistency and drizzle over cake.