Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I decided I would experiment with one of our favorite chocolate cakes.  I wanted to try using bean puree in place of the oil and the eggs.  The oil and eggs added up to about 1 1/2 cups of liquid in the batter.  I chose to use 1 cup of bean puree and just 1/4 cup of oil.  I also added 1 Tbsp vinegar to help the baking soda leaven.  I knew this made me a little short on actual ingredients, but I decided to wait until I mixed it together to see if I needed to add a little water.  In the past, when I have added more than 1 cup of bean puree, the consistency was too moist and not cake-like.  (It reminded me of banana bread that wasn't cooked all the way.)  I didn't want that so I only wanted to use 1 cup of beans.  It turned out great! 

One of my friends always replaces all the fat with beans, but she uses the eggs called for.  Eggs do have some fat in them so I chose to use a little oil and no eggs.  You'll have to decide if you want to do an experiment of your own and try using 1/4 water and no oil or eggs. I'll have to try that next time.  I always say that now is the time to experiment when we don't have to be rationing our food storage.  When it comes time to need to ration my food, I want to know it will for sure work out.

It would be delicious for a Valentine's Day dessert if you happen to have zucchini - 

I was out of my mix in the cupboard so I refilled my mix bag while I made another batch in the mixer.  When making a mix, add 1 1/2 Tbsp of dry milk powder to your bag and then just add 1/2 cup of water when mixing the cake instead of the milk.

I keep zucchini in the freezer in 2 cup portions so it's easy to make this year round.

I used a mix of black and white bean puree since that is what I had in the freezer.

When you thaw the zucchini, there is a lot of water in the bag.  Dump it all in the cake.

Mix.

Bake.

With the beans and no eggs - they are a great cake texture!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Don't hesitate to replace three-quarters of the oil with applesauce or black bean puree for a healthier cake.
1 cup vegetable oil	1 tsp baking soda
1 ¾ cup sugar	½ tsp baking powder
2 eggs	½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla	½ cup reconstituted powdered milk
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour	2 cups shredded zucchini
¼ cup cocoa
Mix all ingredients except zucchini. Fold in zucchini and pour into greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 325° F for 45–50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost with your favorite icing. I bake this in a 10 inch Dutch oven using 8–10 coals on the bottom and 14–16 coals on top for 60 minutes. It works out great. I also do it as muffins for breakfast and everyone loves them. Sometimes we add chocolate chips.