Who Can It Be Now?

Ding Dong! What? There’s no one at the door? That’s because your neighbor just dropped a bag of zucchini on your doorstep and ran like hell! Now what are you going to do? You are going to bake, that’s what! Not your usual zucchini bread, how about Chocolate Zucchini Cake? Oh yeah. I make this every summer, just like my grandmother did. It’s a cross between cake and a brownie, rich and moist. I don’t frost it, preferring to eat plain or with vanilla ice cream. There are few ingredients and after whipping up a few batches, you might want to invite your neighbor in for coffee and cake next time.

Ingredients

1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan; then lightly “flour” the pan with cocoa.

In a large bowl, mix together the applesauce, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 25 minutes, brownies will spring back when touched.
Cut into squares and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! They also freeze very well.