Chocolate Zucchini Cake

As you maight have read in my last post, my and my boy - we moved from a little English town Newton Abbot to a much bigger city, to Plymouth.
It has been almost 4 weeks since we´ve moved here, but there was time for nothing else, but unpacking, buying pillows and some cozy beddings, sorting out all of my nuts, seeds, flours and spices into are small cupboard and.. well, unpacking.
My boy couldn´t be happier at his job - working in one of the best cocktail bars makes him so proud each and every day he goes to work. I´ve never seen anybody more excited about going to work. But, I guess that is how it should be for all of us. Waking up in the morning with a big smile on our faces and getting to work with the greatest attitude. I wish that to everyone.
When we sattled down and realized that we finally feel like we are ´home´ it was the best time for me to bake a cake. I couldn´t wait anymore longer, it´s been over a month without a amazing cake for both of us.
When we got to a restaurant, we normally have some nice starters followed by mains and we never take desserts. Simply because we worked in a restaurants and because we know how things are being made. And because baking cake at home makes us feel special and pampered. Thereis no feeling like that.

So, this is that kind of cake I was aiming for. Rich chocolate cake that´s moist, decadent, filled with warming spices and walnut crunch and drizzled with smooth chocolate sauce. We couldn´t ask for more on a rainy and windy day. It was perfect. Me and my boy, embraced with the smell of freshly baked chocolate cake accompanied by my grandmother´s spicy homnemade jam. And couple of strawberries on side.
Btw, did I tell you about the secret ingredient that gives this cake such a moist texture? It´s zucchini! (For you, my british friends, it´s courgettes!) Don´t be scared when baking with vegetables, you can almost never go wrong. My boy was not believer either, but then he tried one piece of this cake. And after that, another piece, and another.And he was hooked.
I remember my grandma making chocolate zucchini cake topped with her spicy marmelade and topped with chocolate sauce. She made that cake quite often when I was little and I´m telling you I could easily swallow half of the cake. I have no idea how I survived all of the sugar intake, but I think it helped me to become a chocolate(vegetable) cake master.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1 1/3 cup spelt flour
2 cups zucchini, shredded
1 apple, shredded
3 happy eggs
75 g good quality butter, melted and cooled (or coconut oil or olive oil)
5 tbls natural sweetener (honey, maple syrup..) remember to adjust the sweetener according your taste
5 tbls good quality cacao powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground all spice
pinch od sea salt
handful of walnuts, chopped

Chocolate sauce

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cacao powder
sweetener of your choice
pinch of sea salt

Melt everything over low heat.
Store in the fridge and reheat before using.

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease your pan and dust cacao powder or shredded coconut over the pan to help prevent the cake to stick.
Mix together eggs and sweetener of your choice, add melted butter. Sift flour, cacao powder,baking powder,spices and salt over your egg mixture and combine. Gently fold in shredded zucchini, apple and walnuts. Pour into pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until inserted scewer comes out a bit sticky.
Let cool, pour over chocolate sauce (or dust with cacao powder) and serve with some homemade jam and fresh strawberries.