Chocolate Cake (with hidden zucchini!)

Let me just state for the record: I don't believe all desserts need to have hidden veggies in them. It's okay to just have a normal piece of cake. However, I also love creating recipes for people who are super sensitive to sweets and needs a balance of fiber, fat, and/or protein in their desserts in order to have an option of dessert that won't cause erratic blood sugar curves (myself included!)

Zucchini's high water and fiber content keep this cake super moist and adds a nutrition boost. The coconut oil gives a good dose of healthy fats, and the cocoa obviously provides the delicious chocolatey flavor. I chose to use erythritol for sweetener here because I know that it doesn't spike my blood sugar or give me headaches like stevia does, but feel free to use whatever form you like- monkfruit, swerve, coconut sugar, etc. can all work well. I didn't try this with honey or maple syrup and I'm not sure how it would affect the texture, but if you try it out and it comes out good let me know!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut flour

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 3/4 cup sweetener of your choice*

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 large or 2 small zucchini)

• 6 eggs

• 4 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

• 4 Tbsp hot water

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

*Depending on your body's sugar tolerance and your goals, you can opt for a natural sweetener like honey or pure maple syrup (which contains more sugar) or a low calorie sweetener like monkfruit or allulose (won't affect your blood sugar as much.)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine dry ingredients- flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, baking soda, baking powder, and mix until combined.

3. In a food processor fitted with the small shredding blade, shred zucchini.

4. Add zucchini, eggs, coconut oil, and hot water to bowl and mix until combined.

5. Stir in chocolate chips.

6. Line a cake pan or muffin tin with parchment paper or liners.

7. Bake for 20 minutes and then check using the toothpick test- stick a toothpick in the center of the cake or muffin and if it comes out clean, it's done. If not, it needs a few more minuets.

8. Serve while warm and enjoy!