So, how many zucchini breads have you made lately?  Too many? If you don't know what to do with all that zucchini that's coming out of your garden right now, how about zucchini + chocolate?  Great combination, really.  This cake uses quite a bit of grated zucchini, which keeps it moist and absolutely delicious, but you can't really tell there is zucchini in the cake.  Ask my kids. 

Before I get on with the cake, I wanted to thank Saveur for the nice surprise this past week in being featured on Saveur's "Best of the Web".  They featured my post on Marcella Hazan's Roman Style Artichokes.  If you are not a regular reader of the magazine, check out their web site.  It's very good and has all kinds of great content.  

As for the cake, I've made this a couple of times in the past two weeks because our friend, Brian, dropped off more tomatoes and zucchini from his garden. I made Sicilian Estratto (tomato paste) again from the tomatoes, like I did last year and then I made this chocolate zucchini cake from one of the large zucchini that he gave us.

And then, just to make you smile, look who I am babysitting this weekend.  Bet you can't look at her and not smile.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

adapted from Saveur

serves 8-10

for a printable recipe, click here

2 medium zucchini, trimmed and grated (I grated mine on the medium holes of a box grater)
9 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
2-3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1-1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk *
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

*if you don't have buttermilk on hand, which I frequently do not, simply add 1/2 tablespoon vinegar to 1/2 cup milk (whole or lowfat) and let sit for 15 minutes. Works.

Working in batches, put a small mound of the grated zucchini in center of a large square of double-layer cheesecloth (I used a thin tea towel).  Gather corners together and squeeze out as much water as possible from the zucchini.  Transfer zucchini to a bowl and set aside.  (I had about 2 cups of this squeezed zucchini. Do not obsess about the amount, though.  This is a very forgiving recipe when it comes to the amount of zucchini.)

squeezing out the liquid from the grated zucchini

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Butter a deep 9" cake pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together into a mixing bowl and set aside.

Beat together the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  Add oil, beating well. Beat in one egg at a time, add vanilla, reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 alternative batches.  Stir in reserved zucchini.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes (Start checking after 1 hour - baking time could be faster.)  Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.  Invert onto a rack to cook completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

What?  You haven't got that ice cream maker out yet?  Seriously?  You think it's a hassle to make fresh ice cream, right?  Well, think about this - you make a mixture on the stove in the morning, chill it in the fridge all day and when you want ice cream after dinner, you simply pour it into your machine and 30 minutes later you have the freshest, creamiest, most delicious ice cream you've ever tasted.  So don't be a wimp - make some fresh ice cream and impress your family!   There's no fillers, no additives - just the best ice cream you'll ever eat.

I made this ice cream with a little Chambord (raspberry liquor) to give it a depth of flavor but also to help keep any leftover ice cream from freezing so rock hard. The master of ice cream making, David Leibovitz, adds liquor to ice cream to help solve this problem.  I also served it in cute little espresso cups that a friend gave me (thanks, Yvonne!).  

Raspberry Chambord Ice Cream

for a printable recipe, click here

6 ounces fresh raspberries
1 vanilla bean
2 cups half n half
1 cup cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Chambord liquor
mint leaves for garnish 

Puree the raspberries in a food processor and set aside. If you don't have a food processor, just mash them as finely as you can.

I use these little Bistro espresso spoons to serve with the ice cream

Cut the vanilla bean in half with a small, very sharp knife.  Take each half and slice down the middle of the vanilla bean, exposing the "caviar".  Take the tip of the knife and scrape out the caviar.  

In a saucepan, gently heat the half n half, cream, sugar and the vanilla bean caviar over medium low heat. I also add the vanilla bean pod, so I make sure I get all the vanilla out of the bean. Stir with a wire whisk to make sure the vanilla bean gets blended well.  Heat the mixture until just hot, not simmering - enough to just dissolve the sugar well.  Remove the vanilla bean pod. Turn off the heat and add the pureed raspberries and whisk.

Pour this mixture into a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup (this will make it easy to pour into your ice cream maker later. If you don't have a Pyrex measuring cup, just pour the mixture into a bowl). Place in your refrigerator to chill.  Give the mixture a stir every once in a while, to promote the chilling and to make sure the raspberries don't stay at the bottom.  The mixture must be well chilled in order to make ice cream.  This takes several hours.

When you are ready to make ice cream, just pour the chilled mixture into  your ice cream maker and process for about 30 minutes.  Garnish with mint. Any extra ice cream can be frozen in a plastic tub and covered with plastic wrap.  Make sure the plastic wrap is pressed right onto the ice cream to create an air tight seal.

tip:  keep the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer and you will always be able to make fresh ice cream.

From one year ago:  Slab Pie for the Fourth of July

We all love cheesecake, right?  But it does take time and effort.  You have to make the crust and bake it, then make the filling and, if you do it right, bake the cheesecake in a water bath.  Well, I'm going to show you how to make cheesecake without any baking at all.  It's a deconstructed cheesecake and you layer it in parfait glasses. The cheesecake filling doesn't have any eggs - that's why you don't have to bake it.  These are so easy and you can even make them up ahead of time and refrigerate them.

Brian and I had our 25th wedding anniversary last week and I cooked a special dinner.  He loves strawberry cheesecake but at the same time, I had these fun new little glasses from World Market I had bought and I was dying to make something in them.  I had pictured using them for parfaits.  One thing led to another and . . . deconstructed cheesecake parfaits! No baking, just layering.

Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits

for a printable recipe, click here

makes 4 large parfaits or 6 smaller ones

This recipe is flexible - e.g., if you just love the graham cracker "crust" then double the amount and make more.

1 pound of strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
12 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons Amaretto
1 cup heavy cream
mint springs, for garnish

Slice the strawberries into a bowl and sprinkle with one tablespoon of sugar.  Toss and set aside.

Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and one tablespoon of sugar.  

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add the sour cream, confectioners' sugar and Amaretto and beat until combined. 

In another bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.  Fold into the cream cheese mixture. 

Assemble Parfaits:

Place about a tablespoon of the graham cracker "crust" in the bottom of your glasses.  Layer some of the cheesecake filling in the glasses, then some of the strawberry topping and sprinkle some more of the graham cracker on top. (Amounts will vary according to how many parfaits you are making, so just adjust accordingly). Repeat layers and top with mint.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Like to see another parfait recipe?   How about Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfaits?