Chocolate Mystery Cake

My mom used to call this recipe Chocolate Mystery Cake. It was my favorite after school snack for years -- note: after school. My brilliant mother only made this cake when neither me nor my brother were in the house, because she knew that if we knew the mystery of the cake we would never eat it again. I guess I was about 11 when she finally trusted me with the secret: the mystery was Zucchini. Yes, it was your basic chocolate zucchini cake, but I never knew it. I never knew that when I enjoyed this chocolaty loaf, I was also enjoying a helping of veggies and I suppose some extra fiber. Anyways, here is my mom's recipe -- vegan addition (sorry-- some measurements are by weight):

Chocolate Mystery (Zucchini) Cake

230 g. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/2 T. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

75 g. unsweetened cocoa

270 g. white, unbleached flour

3 eggs worth of EnerG Egg Replacer (sold at most grocery stores --- usually in Gluten-Free section)

350 g. grated zucchini

1/2 c. (+ about 1 T.) canola oil

1 t. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Sift the sugar, salt, baking powder & soda, cocoa, and flour into a bowl. Mix together.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the zucchini with the egg replacer, oil, and vanilla.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix just until the ingredients come together completely.

5. Grease a standard loaf pan with canola cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder, or line with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Thanks, Mom!!!