Peanut Butter Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ok who's ready for another recipe? I know it's been forever since the last time I shared one of these with you, and there's been so many things I've tried too so I am really trying to make an effort to start sharing recipes with you all again starting with this gem!

As most of you know - or anyone who follows me on any social media knows- I love having a garden, and I always grow zucchini. Year 1 was the year of the zucchini pasta. The first time I tried zucchini pasta I fell in love and for almost an entire summer, it was all I made. Unfortunately, my family did not have the same fondness for this new dish and after that summer, I have been banned from making zucchini pasta ever again- at least for family meals. After that I tried to stay away from zucchinis because I didn't want my family to hate a vegetable that was so easy to grow in abundance and so versatile, so the following few years I tried to limit the amount of plants I had and whenever I could I would give away extra zucchini. During this time, I tried my hand at some fun variations like the zucchini taco boats, zucchini grilled cheese which were both big hits, and a few others that fell flat for us. This year I am at it again with a large crop and hopefully enough recipes to keep things fun and funky, so no one feels like they are being force fed something only I enjoy. So of course, I wanted to throw in a few extra new recipes, and I was inspired by one I found in the Ambitions Kitchen, by Monique. It was a peanut butter chocolate zucchini bread. Now don't let the name fool you, this is definitely more of a cake than anything else. First, I will share Monique's recipe with the options she offers that I chose to use, and then I'll share with you my second attempt which I turned into a sheet cake.

Monique's Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Zucchini Bread (with my twist)

·           1 medium zucchini, shredded & squeezed of excess moisture (about 1 cup shredded zucchini)

·           3/4 cup all-natural creamy peanut butter

·           1/4 cup pure maple syrup

·           2 large eggs, slightly beaten

·           1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·           about 1/2 cup of doTERRA chocolate trim shake powder

·           1 teaspoon baking soda

·           1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

·           1/2 cup peanut butter chips

·           9 Hershey kisses

Instructions

1.               Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. 

2.               In a large bowl, mix shredded zucchini, peanut butter, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla with whisk until well combined and creamy. Stir in trim shake powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix until just combined. Next, fold in peanut butter chips.

3.               Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, then add the Hershey kisses by flipping upside down and pressing into bread. The bread will develop a nice brown crust, so don't be nervous if you observe this while baking.

4.               Once done baking, remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Once cool enough, remove bread from pan and transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 12 delicious slices.

For her full recipe and notes, you can check it out with this link:

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/grain-free-chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-zucchini-bread-2-different-ways/

Here is how I turned this into a sheet cake:

·           1 large zucchini, shredded & squeezed of excess moisture (or 4 cups shredded zucchini)

·           3 cups all-natural creamy almond butter

·           1 cup pure maple syrup

·           3 large eggs, slightly beaten (if you want more of a brownie feel you can reduce to just 2 eggs)

·           1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract (if you think you need more of a chocolate flavor though you can replace this with coco powder)

·           2 cups of doTERRA chocolate trim shake powder

·           1 and 1/3 Tablespoons baking soda

·           2 teaspoons cinnamon

·           1 cup peanut butter chips (optional)

·            Hershey kisses however many you want

1.               Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 9x13 inch cake pan with coconut cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

2.               In a large bowl, mix shredded zucchini, peanut butter, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla with whisk until well combined and creamy. Stir in trim shake powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix until just combined. 

3.               Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth. Top with peanut butter chips and lightly push them just under the surface. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, then add the Hershey kisses by flipping upside down and pressing into cake- I cut these into 1x1 in size pieces and added 1 kiss per piece. 

4.               Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 30-45 minutes. Once cool enough, remove cake from pan and transfer to wire rack to cool completely. The cake will develop a crust, so if you want to add icing and make it a full-on cake you are welcome to do so-personally I think the Hershey kisses add enough topping.