Daisy’s Moist Chocolate Cake

Daisy and I decided that our cake needed a special name in case the mysterious hidden ingredient deterred her sister from eating it. Daisy loves vegetables and would rather eat a mixed salad, a pile of beetroot or a soup, than cake. She is a good eater. Meanwhile her sister, Charlotte, lives on air, apples and cans of tuna. The two sisters could not be more dissimilar.

Surprisingly moist chocolate and zucchini cake

Zucchini as a cake ingredient has never really appealed to me before. But given that I still have a plague of zucchini, and also a willing kitchen hand who was eager to do some baking, Moist Chocolate and Zucchini Cake finally got a guernsey. It will be hand written in my sepia coloured exercise book, its spattered pages dedicated solely to successful cakes. I was very pleased with the result. The cake had good flavour and texture without being overly sweet. The zucchini vanished completely, but the thing we all loved was the moist, moussy centre.

The mystery ingredient- grated zucchini

After trying one slice each, the cake was boxed and sent home with the girls, with instructions on the lid- ‘Guess the Secret Ingredient’. After five guesses, they gave up. Daisy has not yet revealed the answer. Sadly this post is about to blow her cover. I plan to make another one soon to try with cream and strawberries, and also to test it’s keeping quality. If you have an excess of zucchini this season, I urge you to try this simple recipe.

Moist Chocolate and Zucchini Cake

  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup neutral oil, such as rice bran oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 cup plain flour/ AP flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 baking soda ( bi carb)
  • 1 1/2 cups firmly packed grated zucchini

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180c. Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
  2. Place the sugar, oil, vanilla, eggs, salt and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Whisk together until combined.
  3. Sift together the cocoa powder,flour, baking powder and baking soda. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry mixture into the wet until just combined. Add the grated zucchini and stir through.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
    My Kitchen Hand

    Baking with children is such a pleasurable pastime. Most children enjoy cake making as they love watching the transformation of ingredients. Simultaneously they learn maths, weight and measurement in a hands on way. Daisy is intrigued with my approach to making perfectly fitted paper rounds for the base of cake tins, learning radius and circumference without fuss or boredom. Sometimes we repeat the measurements in Italian, given that she learns Italian at her primary school. More classes should be held in kitchens.

    Daisy’s  Moist Chocolate cake.

    The recipe comes from Goodfood and is attributed to Kristy Komadina.

45 thoughts on “Daisy’s Moist Chocolate Cake”

  3. I love cooking with my grandkids too, it has rewards for all concerned on many levels the least of which is a bowl to scrape clean. And then there’s the cake, this looks a beauty, moist and delicious

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  7. Francesca, I hope you make a book for Daisy, for when she is older, with all your beautiful photographs and recipes – Daisy’s Days in the Kitchen. What a priceless, valuable time she has with you and I know your other grandchildren participate and reap the rewards too. I agree that the kitchen is the perfect place for learning – all sorts of things, not least vocabulary. I still think world forums and the like would have a better outcome if they took place around a large kitchen table or maybe the smell of baking or something savoury could be piped into their meeting places.

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    1. What a great idea Jan, a little cookbook for Daisy. And thanks for the title: spot on. Daisy was charging her family $5 to know the secret ingredient.’ Cinque’, she yells when anyone tries to guess the ingredient. A way of remembering her Italian numbers. No one paid up though.
      She does feature in many of my posts largely because this little girl, now 6, just loves cooking. She is equally happy just chopping stuff to go in a soup. Her nose and imgredient recognition is exceptional. As I have had Daisy with me at least one day a week from a few months old, till when she started school last year ( sob), she has amazed me with her love of food and cooking.
      And yes to around the table politics over a good meal and a wine.There’s no hope left though- really, I am daily appalled and now have banned news from my life.

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  8. I love it that Daisy was enterprising enough to charge for the answer! My grandson was caught charging his siblings the same for his involvement in their games! He was desperate for a particular toy.

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    1. I completely forgot- you did mention this and I haven’t yet made it. Next cake to make when Daisy comes. Yes, she is your blog niece. Maybe she could meet one of your lads one day????

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  11. Please tell Daisy as soon as I read this I went off and made a gluten free version of it and it was delicious. Among the things I’m pursuing on my blog break is learning to be a better gluten free baker. So far so good. Thank you Francesca xx

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    1. Thanks Rachael, they are all such darlings, they make me want to sing crazy songs.. It’s one of those cakes you can throw together quickly and eat it all on the same day.

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  19. This is fantastic! I’ve always been cautious to use veggies in cakes but will definitely give it a go now 😊 Thanks!

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  24. I loved your post! Moist chocolate cake, nothing better than that! 😀 And I also think children should be more involved in the kitchen as it’s so much fun to cook with them and such a great atmosphere to learn! ❤ Many greetings from Germany 🙂

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  25. Pingback: Easy Summer Zucchini Pies – ALMOST ITALIAN

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