Dear Cait,
This recipe seems like it has been in our family for longer than it really has. Your Aunt Renee reminded me that my mom, your grandma, started making it after your grandpa started their garden in Lincoln, Nebraska. That was the first time they planted their own zucchini.
Mom, Dad and I moved to Lincoln on August 19, 1974; the summer before my junior year in high school and on Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary. I'm not sure how many years went by before Dad put zucchini in their garden, but I'm pretty sure I was living at home when Mom started making her zucchini cake. I lived at home during my remaining years of high school and three of my four years of college (Sophomore year I was at St. Paul Bible College). Anyway, enough history!
Mom started making her zucchini cake to use up some of the zucchini from their garden and it soon became a favorite of her children and grandchildren! I'm not sure where she first found the recipe, or if someone gave it to her, but I've never found the recipe in any cookbook or magazine in all of the years that I have been baking.
I wish she was still here so we could find out where it came from! :)
I do too, Mom.
Marita's Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cups sour cream
2 cups grated zucchini
2 1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Combine butter, oil, and sugar in a stand mixer. Add eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and zucchini and mix well. Whisk all of the dry ingredients (flour through baking soda) in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix again. Pour batter into a greased jellyroll pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done.
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 pound powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Place butter, cocoa, and milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and mix in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Frost cake immediately (make sure cake has cooled first).
