Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

Sometimes I have to resort to trickery to get my children to eat their vegetables.  Zucchini is one of those green things they refuse to touch, but I haven't given up trying.  Today I created these devilishly yummy treats for them to eat after school ... and they LOVED every bite!  No, I did not enlighten them about the contents.  It's going to remain my little secret until the time is right to divulge that information.  Perhaps in about 15 years.

This is really sort of a theme and variations on the pumpkin bread recipe I use.  It's a great basic formula that is easily tweaked to change for the seasons or whatever you have available in your kitchen.  You and I can thank my mother's 50 year-old Betty Crocker cookbook, and several revised copies, for that one.

The experts at Unrefined Bakery turned me onto quinoa flour. It has the perfect texture for baking delicate breads and cakes.  However, the taste can be a bit overpowering, so you want to use it with other flours to make sure you achieve the flavor you are looking for.  Thanks for that tip, Taylor!

And, here we go ...

3 cups shredded zucchini  (wash it and shred it in the food processor or with a cheese grater) - lightly pack it into the measuring cup
2/3 cup stevia granules
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup grape seed oil
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

Mix the wet ingredients with an electric stand mixer (or a hand mixer, if that is what you have)

In a separate bowl combine the following:
1/2 cup ViShape shake mix (see my ingredients list in the right side bar)
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1 cup gluten-free oats
1 cup brown rice flour
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup gluten-free chocolate chips (optional)

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, then beat for about 1 minute on medium speed.

Grease the bottoms of a muffin tin.  Fill each muffin mold to about 3/4 full.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Remove from pan immediately and allow to cool on a rack until they reach room temperature. 

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.  These will freeze well.  Yield:  2 dozen individual snack cakes.