• dark chocolate zucchini cake

    A couple weeks ago, I had to run into town for a mid-afternoon appointment, so I dropped the kids off at The Property, along with a plate piled high with thick slices of chocolate zucchini cake. I wasn’t sure how many people were working on the house and wanted to be sure there was enough cake to go around.

    There were only two pieces when I got back. Apparently, my kids ate most of it. Oh well.

    At first, I wasn’t all that thrilled with the cake. It seemed too wet, and maybe a little too heavy. But by the second day, all extra wetness had disappeared and the cake was lovely—dense, dark, chocolate-y, and moist. But because my kids had already eaten most of it, there wasn’t much left for me to enjoy.

    So yesterday, I made another chocolate zucchini cake. We ate some, shared some, and squirreled the rest away in the freezer for later.

    Julie says this is her favorite chocolate cake. I wouldn’t go that far (this one holds that title), but there is something chic about an unadorned wedge of chocolate cake. Somehow it manages to be both homey and classy, functional and elegant.

    Bonus: it’s super simple to make.

    Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake
    Adapted from Julie of Dinner with Julie

    The first time I made this, I used part whole wheat pastry flour. The second time, I used all white flour. I don’t think there was much difference between the two, so feel free to sub in a cup of whole wheat for a cup of the white.

    Also, I like to use mini chocolate chips instead of regular sized ones—you get bits of chocolate in every bite and it doesn’t mess with the cake-y texture vibe as much.

    ½ cup butter
    1/4 cup canola oil
    1 3/4 cups sugar
    2 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    2 1/4 cups flour
    3/4 cup cocoa
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    ½ teaspoon salt
    1 cup sour cream
    3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
    2 cups grated, unpeeled zucchini

    Cream the fats and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.

    In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture alternately with the sour cream. Fold in the chocolate chips and zucchini. Pour the cake batter into a greased angel food cake (or bundt) pan.

    Bake the cake at 325 degrees for an hour or until a cake tester comes out clean (though the chips will leave some chocolate smears) and the top of the cake is cracked and boingy to the touch. While the cake is still slightly warm, invert onto a cooling rack.

    (Looking for a good zucchini bread recipe? Try this one. It’s quite lovely.)

    This same time, years previous: swing set mutilation, beef empanadas, one whole year, reasons, lemon donut muffins, weird, honeyed apricot almond cake, brown bread, simple granola, fancy granola, French chocolate granola, oregano, garlic, and lemon roast chicken with asparagus and potatoes, and a sketchy character.

  • the quotidian (6.25.12)

    Quotidian: daily, usual or customary; 
    everyday; ordinary; commonplace 

    Lots of rain alternating with lots of sun equals perfect weeding weather.

    my workhorses
    (and yes, she has shorts on under that shirt)

    He fully embraces his gardening duties…for real.
    He’s so dirty he’s practically wearing the garden.

    What happens when the show is over
     and I bring home the theater make-up: makeovers for all.

    A kid’s solution to hot weather: dump a bunch of water on the concrete porch
    and then pretend it’s a water park.

     

    His glory days are nearing their end: my husband had to actually work to win this match.

    Extreme porch sports: take down the swing and use the remaining dangling chains to swing out over the yard…all while wearing too-big roller blades that are stuffed with dish towels to make them fit.

    Our new grape arbor is working out splendidly!
    (Now if we can just keep the kids from chucking the green grapes at each other…)

    We left the boy alone to do his chores. When my husband came home,
    this was how he found him: in the kitchen, surrounded by radios
    so he could listen to music in stereo while doing the dishes.

  • beets, and more beets

    My father and husband planted a huge long row of beets, and the other day when I was thinning them, I saved the pretty, red-tailed greens.

    For my lunches, I sizzle a little butter in a skillet and throw in a few large handfuls of beety greens, salt the whole mess, and then toss it around with a fork until it’s dark green and tender. I let the greens sit, off heat, for a few more minutes while I make my quesadilla—this gives the beet roots time to soften a little more.

    I make a tortilla sandwich with some kind of melting cheese and a bunch of feta, toast it, and then stuff the quesadilla with the greens.

    Thanks to all the beet tails, it looks a little like I’m eating a mouse-stuffed quesadilla. Mm-mm, good beety mice!

    (If that image disturbs you, chop up the greens pre-saute.)

    Speaking of beets, I wrote about them for this week’s column. It’s a new recipe, so I’m posting it here, too.

    Cilantro Beet Salad
    Inspired by my pastor, Jennifer Davis Sensenig

    This is more a formula than a recipe. It seems like a crazy amount of cilantro, and it is, but it’s all good. Trust me.

    1 cup roasted (or boiled) beets, cooled and diced
    ½ to 1 cup chopped cilantro, stems and leaves
    1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    salt and black pepper to taste
    cooked quinoa, optional
    feta cheese, optional

    Toss together and taste to correct seasonings.

    How to Roast Beets
    Trim off the stems and leaves. Scrub the beets. Put the whole beets in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 60-90 minutes or until the beets are fork tender. Cool slightly before peeling. Eat warm, with butter and salt, or refrigerate for later use.

    How to Cook Quinoa
    Cover 1 cup of quinoa with hot (not boiling) water and let soak for 5 minutes. Rinse and drain the quinoa several times. Both the hot soak and the rinsing help to reduce the bitterness.

    Put the quinoa in a saucepan and add 1 ½ (scant) cups of water or chicken broth. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the grains are tender.

    P.S. I’ve been getting a bunch of spam, so I added the word verification back into the commenting process. If it gives you any trouble, let me know.

    This same time, years previous: spaghetti with fresh herbs and fried eggs, a driving lesson