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We have a love/hate relationship with zucchini in our home. I love it, my dude loathes it. I have a great time trying to sneak it into my recipes so he can enjoy it without knowing. I’m sneaky like that and he thinks I’m a creep. This recipe for Zucchini Nutella Swirl cake is probably one of the only exceptions he has made.
I enjoy lots of other dishes with zucchini but, this one right here, will knock your socks off. If I’m wrong, you can pay me 50 bucks.
Zucchini Love
You gotta love zucchini, ladies and gents. Your watery summer squashes and zucchini have a yin, cooling, refreshing property to keep you hydrated during the summer months. That is why it is in peak season in the spring and summer!
When I was a child, I wasn’t a huge fan of zucchini. My mother would make calabacitas, which is a Mexican staple dish, except hers was mostly mushy and full of stewed tomatoes. It just never sat well with me. As I got older, I learned to love it prepared in other ways; grilled, sauteéd over high heat to keep it’s firmness, or used as “zoodles” in place of processed spaghetti noodles. As we age, our taste buds change or we simply become more adventurous. Although, I won’t hold my breathe waiting for Brandon to like it..haha
Zucchini 101
- When buying squashes at farmer’s markets, you want to look for smaller varieties. These little beauties will be mild in flavor and more firm than a more matured squash. As they grow, they become bitter, watery, and fibrous which can all lead to “mush city.” For the larger varieties, you can certainly use them for baking. Just be sure to soak up the excess water from the zucchini before adding to your cake, cupcake, or bread batter.
- There are so many gorgeous varieties popping up in your local markets. Be bold and try a few you haven’t had before!
- When storing these sensitive gems, you can keep them in a small paper bag in the fridge for several days. Be careful not to nick them as their skin is delicate and helps hold the flesh together. I will confess, I am a bit OCD when it comes to shopping for zucchini. I won’t buy them if I see fingernail nicks on them by other shoppers’ or my entire bloodline will die in a fire. They have to be smooth and flawless.
- The smaller squashes are great for grilling or sautéing over high heat. This will brown the outside, enhancing its flavors, and keep the inside from overcooking and becoming too mushy.
Another recipe you have got to try is my Fried Zucchini Tacos. They are a crispy crunchy simple weekend lunch idea that goes well with a nice cilantro cream sauce and a platter of beautiful watermelon. Have fun with it and try various other recipes you can find online.
A few things about the recipe
- The ingredient list may seem long. Get over it. This recipe is truly delicious and after it’s all said and done, it won’t matter.
- The Nutella recipe makes close to two cups. You will have plenty to store in a jar or container to use for other recipes or as a spread. It’s pure gold.
- Don’t let the color of the wet mixture weird you out. It will look like thick-ass dirty dish water. That’s the blue agave nectar creating a murky appearance. Get over that too.
- Lastly, you’re awesome for seeing the recipe through! Preparing your mise en place beforehand will save you time when executing the recipe.
Zucchini Nutella Swirl Cake
This will easily become one of your favorite cakes! When making the nutella, you will have lots left over so, just keep it in a container for other uses like breakfast toast, pancakes, or waffles. The cake is so decadent and moist (I don’t have a problem with that word at all), you will lose your mind when you taste it…you’re gonna need a glass of almond milk to help wash it down!
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
Ingredients
For Nutella:
1 cup roasted hazelnuts
12 soaked dates
1–10 oz pkg of vegan chocolate morsels
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk, canned
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Dry Mixture:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Wet mixture:
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 blue agave nectar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups grated zucchini
Instructions
To make nutella:
Place hazelnuts onto a large baking sheet and roast in 350 degree pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes. While hazelnuts are cooling, remove seeds and soak dates in water for 15 minutes.
Place hazelnuts onto a soft kitchen towel and fold over, gently moving hazelnuts around with your hands until most of their skin falls off. Discard skins and place hazelnuts into a high-speed blender. Using the same baking sheet, pour chocolate morsels onto its surface and place in oven for a few minutes or until chocolate softens/melts. Remove from oven and scrape chocolate into the blender using a soft rubber spatula. Add soaked dates, oil, syrup, coconut milk, vanilla, and salt to the blender. Blend on low for a few seconds increasing speed to high until mixture is smooth.
To make cake:
Place grated zucchini onto a few paper towels. Cover with more towels and gently press as much water from the zucchini as you can. You want the zucchini to be dry before adding to bread batter. Set aside.
Add flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine ingredients for the wet mixture using a whisk. Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk together until fully incorporated. Fold in shredded zucchini using a rubber spatula.
Line a baking pan or spring form pan with parchment paper. Pour bread mixture into the pan, smoothing out to all corners. Carefully spoon nutella around the surface of the bread mixture. Using a butter knife, place it vertically into the batter and stir the nutella into the mixture. This will create beautiful streaks in the bread batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
