Two Good Things—a Winner & Chocolate

Thanks to all who entered the Sam’s Club back-to-school giveaway. The winner via random integer is…

True Random Number Generator

Result: 4

**Winner is Christina from Hungry Meets Healthy**

Please send me your mailing address to apinchandadash@live.com and you’re gift card will be on the way!

----------------------

Now onto the other word in the title that caught your eye I’m sure—chocolate! Now most women are stereotyped for being chocolate hounds and consider chocolate as one of the basic needs for survival. Me? Well don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate flavor, but to sit down and eat just a chocolate candy bar won’t cut it for me. I need something like chocolate cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies, or this new recipe I brainstormed awhile ago! I figured now that the zucchini crop is booming, it’d be a great time to share it because I am sure 8/10 people have zucchinis waiting to be used!

So a little about this cake and how it came to be..I wanted to first make zucchini bread, which then got me thinking how about chocolate zucchini bread would be good. But that might be a little blah without a drizzle over the top. But I like a lot of drizzle—so that’s when the idea of frosting came in. But frosting goes better on cake, so therefore Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting was born!

I knew when I bought this gem it’d come in handy for something…

“A premium cocoa that adds rich chocolate flavor to any recipe. Crafted using traditional dutch processing techniques, the smooth and sophisticated taste will intensify and enrich your desserts.”

Some dark chocolate facts:

How is dark chocolate different from milk chocolate?
Dark chocolate, also known as sweet or semi-sweet chocolate, typically has a higher percentage of cacao solids (cocoa, chocolate liquor and cocoa butter) than milk chocolate.

What are the healthy components of dark chocolate?
Like many other plant-based foods, cocoa and chocolate have many natural occurring "good for you" components. Much of the current research has focused on compounds called "flavanols" which occur naturally in cacao. Flavanols also act as antioxidants which can have beneficial effects on the body. Antioxidants are compounds that help neutralize free radicals and protect your body against their destructive effects.

Does HERSHEY'S dark chocolate contain flavanols?
Yes. According to a recent study sponsored by The Hershey Company, the levels of flavanol antioxidants in cocoa and chocolate products are almost perfectly correlated with the concentration of natural cocoa in products. In general, the higher the natural cocoa content, the greater the flavanol antioxidant levels.

So why not switch up your cocoa powder to the dark chocolate version ASAP!?

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 3/4 c sugar—I used all Splenda
• 1 egg
• 3/4 unsweetened applesauce
• 2 c grated zucchini
• 1/3 c dark cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 c all purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 c butter—I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Fat Free Spread
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 drop Kahlua—or use 2 tsp dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 c Splenda
• 1/4 c powdered sugar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Meanwhile, cream sugar and egg until fluffy. Add in applesauce and vanilla, stir. Add zucchini and incorporate well.
• In another medium-sized bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir until combined.
• Bake 30-40 min, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

• For frosting: Cream the cream cheese, butter, Splenda, and powdered sugar until fluffy. Gradually add in Kahlua (or cocoa powder) and vanilla until a smooth frosting-like consistency is achieved.
• Let the cake cool for 1 hour, then frost, and cut into 12 pieces (shown above).

A great way to eat your veggies if you ask me!!

What’s your favorite way to use zucchini?