Healthy Dessert Recipe: Chocolate Chocolate Zucchini Cake

A couple of weekends ago, I watched Devin Alexander on FitTV do a recipe makeover of our grandma's zucchini cake. I'd never had zucchini cake although my mother makes zucchini bread often especially in summer. I tried this recipe last weekend and really liked it. It's a also a good way to sneak some veggies in to your diet!

You need:

Butter-flavored cooking spray

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

2-1/2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 egg whites

1-3/4 cups sugar

1 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 13 x 9 x 2 inch glass dish or cake pan with non-stick spray.

In a medium measuring cup, stir together the milk and the vinegar.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt into a medium bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with beaters, mix the egg whites with the sugar on low speed until they are well combined.

Beat in the yogurt, vanilla and milk mixture until they are just thoroughly blended. Gradually add the sifted flour mixture, stirring it in until it is blended. Then using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix in the zucchini until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top.

Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out dry (a few crumbs are OK).

Remove the cake to a cooling rack. Allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes and cut it into 24 equal pieces. Serve immediately or store in an airtight plastic container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Makes 24 servings.

Calories: 135 calories (the traditional recipe has 232 calories)

Protein: 3 grams

Carbohydrates: 28 grams

Fat: 2 grams (traditional recipe has 14 grams)

Saturated fat: 1 gram (traditional recipe has 4 grams)

Fiber: Less than 1 gram

Sodium: 121 milligrams

You save 97 calories, 12 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat and 25 milligrams of cholesterol.