Tastes like fall

I love fall. It's my favorite time of year. I love the weather. And holiday decorations. And pulling out cardigans. And the return of my favorite pumpkin flavored menu items.

I'm so eager for fall that I decided to break out some fall recipes early. This Zucchini Cake is more like zucchini bread, but the chocolate cream cheese frosting qualifies this as a yummy dessert. It may not look pretty, but tastes divine.

Get the original recipe from Cakespy (via Serious Eats).

Ingredients



3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 cups (about 2 medium-large) shredded zucchini, skin on
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature (for frosting)
2 tablespoons milk or cream (for frosting)
2 to 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted (for frosting)
2 squares unsweetened Baker's chocolate (1 ounce each), melted (for frosting)



Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease either two 9-inch cake pans, or line two muffin tins with cupcake cups.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, just until moistened. Gently stir in the nuts, if you've chosen to add them, at this point.

Transfer your batter to your prepared pans or cupcake liners. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes for cakes, 30 to 45 minutes for cupcakes (until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out mostly clean).

Once you've removed from the oven, let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cakes cool, make the frosting. In a stand mixer, whip the cream cheese until it is soft and fluffy; add the milk or cream, and then the confectioners' sugar, bit by bit, until it has reached your desired consistency. Add in the melted chocolate last, and mix until it is fully incorporated.

Frost cakes, either using the two 9-inch cakes to make a layer cake, or top each cupcake with a healthy dollop. The frosting yield is fairly generous, so don't be afraid to heap it high.