Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cake

I got this recipe from my sister Kristen. It is Great! You can make it into muffins or bread. I like it with raisins too. I thought I would add shredded carrots as well. Anyway it's harvest time I love this part of the year. Time to make and have those warm bowls of soup as well. Yumm.

2 1/2 C. All-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 C.) unsalted butter. or just omit the salt and use regular butter, softened
1 C. packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs at room temp.
2 C. coarsely grated zucchini (8 oz.) I use probably a 1/2 cup more
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. walnuts, toasted and chopped

3-quart bundt or fleur-de-lis pan

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter bundt pan well and dust with some flour, kocking out excess.
-Sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to medium and add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down side of bowl occasionally, then beat until very smooth and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.
-Reduce speed to low and add all but 1/2 cup flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
-Toss zucchini, chocolate chips, and walnuts with remaining 1/2 cup flour mixture and add to batter, then mix batter with a rubber spatula (batter will be thick).
-Spoon batter into bundt pan, smoothing top. Bake in middle of oven, rotating pan halfway through baking, until side begins to pull away from pan and a tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes total.
-Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then run a thin knife around outer and inner edges. Invert rack over pan, then invert cake onto rack. Cool completely.

*Keeps 3 days in an airtight container at room temp.

German Apple Cake

OK, this one is so good and even works if your apples are getting a little soft. It has the wonderful flavors of fall sweet Cinnamon and sugar. I know it's cake but I somehow feel healthier about eating it because of all the apples. Totally a false sense of reality but it works for me.

The Cake

2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
5-6 cups apples - peeled, cored and diced


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour(I dusted with Cinnamon and sugar) one 9x13 inch cake pan.
In a mixing bowl; beat oil and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy(over do it). Add the sugar and vanilla and whip well(really really well at least 3 min).
Combine the flour salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon together in a bowl. Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the apples by hand using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Let cake cool on a wire rack. Once cake is cool serve with a dusting of confectioners' sugar or with a Cream Cheese Frosting.

I did neither. It was almost all eaten before I got the chance but I was going to try a caramel glaze.

Glaze:
1/2 C Butter
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/4 C Cream

Bring to a boil and boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 t Vanilla - let cool slightly before pouring over warm cake. To make perfect serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.