I was skeptical at first. Actually, my sister was the really skeptical one. We were texting and I told her I planned to make a zucchini cake. I could virtually hear the gagging emanate from my Blackberry screen.

Still, I shared some of her concerns. There’s nothing about zucchini, not its appearance, nor its distinctly vegetal taste that suggests it would make great cake. I mean, at least carrots possess an explicit sweetness that hints at multiple dessert opportunities. Still, I persevered, and let me tell you, boy, do those crafty squash have some tricks up their sleeves. Admittedly, you don’t actually taste the squash, at least not in the chocolate-infused concoction I threw together, but it made for a really moist, rich and luscious treat that would tackle breakfast, tea time and dessert in one fell swoop.

I started off with a recipe from Fine Cooking for Chocolate Nut Zucchini Bread. As you’ll soon note from the photo on Fine Cooking’s website, my cake looks very different from the magazine’s tasty, but not tasty-enough offering. I studied the recipe and immediately knew I needed more chocolate. I bumped up the amount of bittersweet chocolate that was called for, and instead of chopping it finely, I cut it into rough, smallish chunks to make for little pockets of oozy chocolate throughout the cake. Still not satisfied with the indulgence level, I added cocoa powder for an earthy, rich, all-over chocolate intensity. Fine Cooking used walnuts, I opted for pistachios instead, which, when the loaf was sliced, speckled each serving like pretty uncut emeralds.

Finally, I was looking for something to cut through the denseness of the chocolate and lift the flavors. Bingo – orange – zest and juice – added just the right hit of bright citrus. And as we all know, it’s chocolate’s favorite  bed partner. Finally I threw in some vanilla extract for balance, and folded in some milk to lighten up the batter. The end result was a delicious, decadent masterpiece, destined to cure anyone who complains of not liking squash, or vegetables!

Just one more thing. You probably looked at the how much cake this recipe yields and thought it quite strange that it makes a loaf…and a few random cupcakes. Well, once I started fiddling with the ingredients and quantity of ingredients in the Fine Cooking recipe, this affected the amount of batter that I was left with at the end. The volume had increased to the point that I now needed a 1-1/2lb. loaf tin rather than a standard 1lb. loaf tin. Unhelpfully, the 1-1/2lb tin doesn’t exist, so rather than trying to fiddle the recipe even more so that I would be left with just the right amount of batter for a 1lb. tin, I decided to cook the excess batter in cupcake cases. My genius paid off, and we were left with 6 perfectly-portioned lunch box treats in addition to a beautiful loaf that we nibbled on for tea and dessert, and whenever else I desired.

Chocolate, Summer Squash, Pistachio and Orange Cake
Makes 1 lb loaf, plus 6 cupcakes

4 oz. (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more for the pan
9 1/2 oz. (2 cups plus 2 Tbs.) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pan
3/4 lb. small, young summer squash (I used zucchini and yellow squash), stem ends trimmed and grated
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 Tbs.
1/2 cup low-fat greek yogurt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
Zest 1 large orange
¼ cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 oz cocoa powder
3 1/2 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate, or chocolate chips
2 to 3 oz. roughly chopped pistachios (depending how nutty you like your cake)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. table salt

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch metal loaf pan and dust with flour; tap out any excess.
Line a cupcake tin with 6 paper cases.

Transfer the grated zucchini to a colander or sieve set over a bowl. Sprinkle 1 Tbs. of the sugar over the grated zucchini and toss to distribute. Sprinkle another 1 Tbs. sugar over the zucchini and toss again. Set aside for 20 minutes.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Pour the butter into a large bowl and let cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, yogurt, eggs, milk, orange zest and juice, and vanilla extract into the butter.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocao powder, chocolate, pistachios, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Squeeze the zucchini by the fistful to thoroughly wring out excess liquid. Add the zucchini to the bowl containing the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Pour over the flour mixture and, using a large wooden spoon, stir until just blended.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan – filling about ¾ full (leave about 3/4- inch space at the top), spreading it evenly. Spoon the remaining batter into the muffin cups. Bake the loaf and cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour for the cake, and 15 mins for the cup cakes.

Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges of the loaf with a knife and release it, turning it upright onto the rack until completely cooled. This cake needs no frosting, but if you like you can dust with a little confectioner’s sugar.

Tags: cake, chocolate, summer squash, yellow squash, zucchini