{Healthy-ish} Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I was quite skeptical about this. I mean, I really wanted to try it, but I was worried that it was going to be "too healthy." Luckily it was healthy and delicious {although I added ice cream to every bite, so that might've had something to do with it…}

Photo Credit to Texanerin.com

{Healthy-ish} Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Zucchini cake:
¾ cup olive oil or canola oil
1 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
¾ cup Greek yogurt
2-2 1/4 whole wheat flour
1¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3 cups grated, peeled zucchini {I didn't peel at all}
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ganache:
¼ cup honey
3½ tablespoons coconut oil
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2-4 tablespoons Greek yogurt

Grease a 12 cup bundt pan or 6 cup if you want to make half. Preheat your oven to 350°F / 176°C. For the cake, combine the honey, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. At first it'll be difficult to get the honey incorporated, but it'll work. Stir in the eggs and then the Greek yogurt. Set this bowl aside.

In another large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Sift the cocoa powder into the bowl if it's lumpy, or just use a fork to get rid of the lumps. Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir, just until combined. 

Fold in the zucchini and the chocolate chips.

Bake the full recipe for 40 minutes, or if using half, bake for 30 minutes. When you insert a toothpick in the middle, the toothpick will not come out dry, or even with crumbs, but it'll come out covered in sticky batter. If you insert it, and it's just normal batter, it's not ready. Sticky batter is what we're looking for! It'll continue to cook once it's out of the oven.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then flip out onto a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before putting on the ganache. If using the following ganache recipe, store cake covered in the fridge. Otherwise, room temperature is fine.

For the ganache: Over low heat, melt the honey and coconut oil and in a medium saucepan or pot. When melted, add the vanilla and then the cocoa powder. Stir until thoroughly combined. It might look weird, like it isn't combining. The first time I made it, I used too much coconut oil and poured some out and everything was fine. The recipe reflects how I made it the second time with less coconut oil, and had no problem with excess oil.

Place in the fridge for 5 minutes. Take out and add a tablespoon of Greek yogurt at a time, stirring after every one. For me, just under three tablespoons was enough. It should be pourable at this point. Not too hot and not too cold. Pour over the cake and store any leftovers in the fridge. {I liked it best stored in the fridge for one or two days}

Recipe Source: Texanerin Baking