We, too, are no fans of food waste. Recently, we had some super ripe bananas leftover, as well as zucchini whose expiration date was imminent. Thus, we had the perfect excuse to do some baking. Plus, we did not have any dessert on hand (OMG!) and had a major craving for something laden with chocolatey, fudgy goodness. Hence, we decided to make a dessert that combines bananas, zucchini, and chocolate. You might think, well, that does not sound very appetizing; I’m going to pass on this one. We encourage you not to, as the following chocolate cake might be the cake that you never thought that you needed in your repertoire. The zucchini creates a pleasant moist texture, the banana isn’t too overpowering, and the amount of chocolate is just right. In other words, it is perfection in every bite. Give the recipe a try and let us know what you think.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free flour mix – oat flour also work well!
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Wet Ingredients

• 3 ripe, medium-sized bananas (mashed)
• 2 medium-sized zuchinni (shredded)
• ½ cup vegan butter milk (1/2 cup non-diary milk + 1 tbsp apple cidar/ Stir and set aside for 5 minutes)
• 2 tbsp date syrup
• 1/3 cup melted vegan butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Add-ins

• 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chunks

Toppings (optional)

• 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chunks
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Add the dry ingredients to a large-sized bowl. Whisk until well-combined. 
2. Add the wet ingredients to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until well-combined. 
3. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and then mix. Do not overmix. The batter should be thick and lumpy. 
4. Gently fold in the chocolate chucks.  
5. Let batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
6. In the meantime, preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F. Butter and flour a 24-cm/ 9-inch cake pan.
7. Using a spatula, gently mix the cake batter couple of times before transferring it to the cake pan.
8. Bake for approx. 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. 
9. Let the cake cool completely before cutting into it.
10. Enjoy!

Kitchen Soundtrack