We had a big event over the weekend… our blogaversary. One year ago, Mira and I sat down to make one of our most requested recipes-the chocolate chip zucchini muffin, and this blog was born. I think some of my friends and family were relieved. They kept calling me to say that they had dreamed of me being pregnant. Well, it was a baby of another sort, and I, one proud Mama.
Something that has made me happiest about The TYM blog, besides chronicling the huge leaps my mini-chefs from cooking classes made, of course, is being able to host guest bloggers here. We have made, often many times, at home the recipes that they posted to delicious results. That means that there are Yummies around the world inspiring our families to cook and eat better. Mega thank you for that!
To celebrate our one year, we re-mixed our classic and topped it with a rich bittersweet ganache. Here’s to another year of yumminess.
Chocolate-Zucchini Cake with Bittersweet Ganache
makes an 8 or 9-inch two-layer cake
For the cake:
*2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
*3/4 c. all purpose flour
*2 T. corn starch
*2 t. baking soda
*1 1/2 t. salt
*1 t. cinnamon
*1/2 t. ground ginger
*2 c. sugar, or 1 c. agave nectar
*4 eggs, slightly beaten and at room temperature
*1 c. veggie oil
*2 t. vanilla
*2/3 c. water
*1 1/2 c. grated zucchini (2 medium zucchini)
*the juice of half a lemon
*1 c. chopped pecans
*1/2 c. chopped crystallized ginger
*12 oz. chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet chocolate
For the Ganache:
*1 c. heavy cream
*8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chips or chopped
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Trace the bottom of your cake pan onto parchment with a pencil. Cut out the circle. Repeat to make another circle. Butter each pan, place the parchment circle into the bottom, and butter that, too.
Take out two large bowls. In the first bowl put the flours, spices, baking soda, salt, corn starch, and sugar (if using agave, you’ll wait and place it in with the wet ingredients instead). Have your Yummy give that a good whisk. In the second bowl place the eggs, veggie oil, vanilla, water, and lemon and stir it well.
Very carefully pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Then, fold in the crystallized ginger, the nuts and the chocolate chips.
Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.
Big Person: Place the cakes in the oven and bake about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove to a rack and cool completely. Before frosting the cake, you may want to wrap each layer in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge or freezer, especially if your kitchen is hot. It will help the ganache not completely melt into the cake and will be easier to frost in general.
Now, for the frosting: Have your mini-chef pour the chocolate chips or break up the chocolate into chunks into a large heat-proof bowl.
Big Person: Bring the heat to a boil. Take it off the heat and pour it immediately over the chocolate. Let that sit for a minute.
Together: Whisk the cream and the chocolate together till completely smooth. Let the ganache cool to room temperature before frosting your cake.
When the cake and the ganache have cooled, place the first layer of your cake on the serving plate. Tuck strips of parchment paper around the sides to catch the extra frosting. Heap about 1/2 cup of the ganache into the center of the top of the layer and spread it out with an off-set spatula (if you have one, or a rubber spatula if you do not). Place the second layer on top. Heap the rest of the ganache on top, spreading it over the top and sides of the cake. Show your mini-chef how to spread as best they can. Don’t be worried about little imperfections in the frosting… they are what makes the cake most lovely and sure that it was made with the help of a mini-chef.
