Zany with Zucchinis: chocolate cake

Photo: Christina SimonsWe start to get creative as our zucchini plants create a supply that could seemingly feed the 5000 or at least most of the Vegout community garden in St Kilda.And so it was that we unearthed Mama Tomato’s unorthodox recipe for chocolate cake, kept moist with the addition of our surplus stock grated finely into the mixture.You must use instinct as to whether the mixture is too dry or moist before putting it into the oven, preheated to 180c, gas mark 4.First grease and flour the baking tins. Mama Tomato uses two sandwich tins or a loaf tin. We use asingle 22cm springform tin, the bottom lined with a circle of baking sheet.Sift together the dry ingredients..Beat the oil into the eggs which are hopefully organic for the sake of the chickens as well as the chemical free consumer. Finely grate the zucchini; wring out the juice.Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water. We prefer Kennedy & Wilson chocolate, (about A$30 for a 1kg block) for its dark, spicy imperfectly beautiful flavours. With Cadbury’s dark chocolate it would cost less than A$4.00, or, if you are a f–die 200g of Valhrona costs about A$15.Mix the oil/eggs into the dry ingredients, stir in the melted chocolate then the zucchini and walnuts. Pour into the tin and bake for about 55 minutes or until a skewer comes clean out the middle.Remove from oven. Cool for a few minutes and turn out on a wire rack. Enjoy while cooking up yet more zucchini fuelled adventures …Click through for the ingredients and quantities.180g dark chocolate200g plain flour125g caster sugar1tsp baking powder1/2tsp bicarbonate soda1/2tsp salt2 large eggs, beaten6fl oz veg oil225g peeled courgettes60g chopped walnuts