Zucchini Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze

I first saw this recipe on David Lebovitz' blog . Then, I Googled the source...Gina DePalma, the pastry chef at Babbo Ristorante.  This is her recipe for Zucchini Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Crunch Glaze.

Right now, I have zucchini trying to overtake my lawn, so what better way to beat it into submission than by turning it into a cake! Not just any zucchini cake, but a cake that gets better and better each day! I'm saying 4-5 days and it's still wonderful!

A cake glazed with delicious, lemony crystals. A cake that is the zucchini recipe of which dreams are made.

Did I tell you that I decided to add 6 ounces of dark chocolate to the recipe?

Oh, Yeah!
  
Zucchini and Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze
Adapted from Gina DePalma's Recipe
Printable Recipe

Make one 10-inch cake, about 12 servings.

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup walnut pieces, toasted and finely chopped
2½ cups grated zucchini, excess moisture squeezed out
6 ounces of dark chocolate, chopped
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar*
3 large eggs
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze:

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from one large lemon)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Grease a 10-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or melted butter (a silicone pastry brush works well), and dust it thoroughly with flour, tapping out the excess. Place walnuts on a baking sheet and toast them until they are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Allow them to cool completely and then finely chop them in a food processor or mini chopper and set aside. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and reserve.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment on medium speed, beat the eggs, sugar and olive oil until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add the vanilla and beat. Scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula after each addition, beat in the dry ingredients all at once on low speed until they are thoroughly combined, then switch the mixer to medium speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add the zucchini, walnuts and chocolate and mix on low speed until they are completely incorporated

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, leveling it with a spatula. Bake for 45-55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. The cake is done when it a tester inserted in the center comes out clean and it has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan. Oven temperatures vary so be sure to test before removing.

While the cake is baking, prepare the Lemon Glaze. In a medium bowl, mix together the lemon juice and granulated sugar, then whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until the glaze is smooth.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack by placing the wire rack over the pan and then turning them both over at once. Allow to settle and then carefully lift the pan from the cake. Using a pastry brush, immediately brush the glaze onto the warm cake.  The glaze with set as the cake cools. Allow the cake to cool completely, then transfer the cake to a stand or serving plate.  Any leftover cake may be wrapped and served over the next several days but is best eaten within 3-4 days.

*Note, I reduced the amount of sugar from the original recipe since I added the chopped chocolate.

PS: You can find the swirl bundt pan here.