Flourless. Butter Free. Fudgy. Nutrient-Dense.
Vegetable in Chocolate Cake? Now that just sounded like blasphemy.
I’m sitting in the back of the car after an exhausting 24-hour flight from Hong Kong to Utah reminiscing my wonderful Christmas Break which included this rather glorious creation.
“Is there Almond Flour?”
“Gluten Free Flour?”
“Carrots?”
(We mostly got blank stares)
The expressions on their faces were priceless as Zoe and I brought out a plate of chocolate cake and asked them to name the key ingredients in the cake.
Even for someone with a extremely sensitive or trained palate it would be impossible to detect the flavor of zucchini or cashews.
The cake was really quite wonderful; genius to be accurate – Thanks to the combination of rich cashew butter and shredded zucchini; the resulting cake somehow embodied the elements of a rich chocolate brownie and a spongy chocolate cake combined. Words could hardly be enough to describe just the complexity and sophistication of the texture: chocolatey and light; soft and fudgy; airy and rich.
Thank goodness for my aunt’s little blender that worked beautifully churning those chunky bits of cashews into a smooth paste. It took a lot of patience and prayers to budge our little machine along. The low groan and screeching made me slightly nervous, but it must have been some New Year’s luck that we were able to do it!
“Was it good?” I inquired curiously.
“Yeah! I just can’t stop eating!”
I watched as my friends devoured the cake bite by bite despite insisting that they were already stuffed. My mum had 3 pieces on her own; and my dad – well I hardly thought he would have enjoyed it but he proclaimed that it was his favourite dessert we had made this Christmas (considering he isn’t a chocolate fan). Who could have guessed? Even my chocolate-averted dad and my critical aunt grew very fond of this sweet treat.
I could personally never turn down an offer for chocolate, especially dark chocolate. I have such a sweet tooth that it is a problem; but it appeases my guilty conscience to know that it also contains vegetables; healthy fats and proteins! This nutrient-dense brownie not only will keep you satisfied longer but also is comparatively lower in saturated fats, sodium levels, sugars and carbs than a regular chocolate dessert. Maybe having root vegetables in my chocolate isn’t such a bad idea after all.
- 1.5 cups cashew butter (2.5 cups Raw Cashews)*
- 2 cups shredded Zucchini
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder, good quality
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips (60-75%)
- Cashew Butter: (Skip this step if you have store brought nut butter) Soak cashews in hot water for 15-30 mins.
- Drain well and blend in food processor until a thick paste (when you can no longer see bits of cashews). This will take about 15 minutes depending how your food processor.
- Measure out 1.5 cups and set aside the remaining in the fridge for toast.
- Zucchini: Remove the core (the seeds) and shred using a food processor (or alternatively you can grate it).
- Measure out 2 cups of grated zucchini.
- Next, take the zucchini between your palms and squeeze all excess water (the zucchini will significantly shrink in volume)
- Brownies: Combine Cashew butter, Zucchini, Maple Syrup and Egg.
- Add in the remaining ingredients except for the chocolate. Mix well.
- Stir in Chocolate Chips.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Pour into a well-greased/lined 9 x 9" Pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
- Allow it cool completely, slice and refrigerate overnight.
LOVE,
Zoe & Mia
(This post is featured on Twinkly Tuesday, Hearth and Soul)
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these are so delicious i cooked these many time, to see this post here i think i cooked again these today!!
Thank you!! Zoe & I are so glad you hear you’ve made it so many times!! We love hearing from our readers!!!! 🙂
This looks great, a clever way of getting vegetables into my children ☺
Thanks 🙂 I hope your kids like it!!!! You really can’t taste the veggies at all!
I love making treats that my family and friends can’t tell are healthy or hiding veggies! I’m definitely going to try this. 🙂
I love making “guilt free” treats too! Its so fun to have them guess and see their reactions! And that just makes the dessert even more attractive than it originally was!! You will have to let us know how it turns out!
Will do!
So basically your chocolate cake is a salad. I could eat that for lunch and dinner and totally not feel guilty. Looks great by the way! #twinklytuesday
Hahaha! I think you just got the “comment of the day” award! This is definitely a nutrient dense treat that is way better for you than regular chocolate cake! It will also keep you satisfied for longer! This great way to get more veggies and healthy fats in your diet!
Wow such an awesome cake, I’ll make ti tomorrow as a surprise for a friend who’s coming over 🙂
Thanks Kreso! Oh my gosh 🙂 We are super excited! Please let us know how the cake turns out! Hope your friend likes it!
Hope so too! 😀
I love how fudgy they look. <3
Thanks Sammy! It sure tastes moist, fudgy but light too! The cashews gives it that texture! Adding in those extra chocolate chips in definitely helps too!
This looks amazing! I’ll definitely be trying this 🙂
Thank you Haley! I’m so glad you are! Please let us know how it turns out!