Ever want to indulge in chocolate cake but didn’t need the extra sugar? Well, if you’re a chocolate lover like me and always need a bite of dessert after dinner here is one recipe to try. The ingredients will definitely “surprise” you!

Chocolate Surprise Cake

Serves: 12

Another clever way to get them to eat their vegetables. They won’t even detect the beets, carrots, and zucchini in this chocolate cake.

 Ingredients

1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour, (or 1 cup unbleached white flour and 2/3 cup all-

purpose whole wheat flour)

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks in juices, drained

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 banana

1 cup shredded beets

1 cup chopped walnuts

¾ cup shredded carrots

½ cups coarsely chopped dates

1/2 cup currants (optional)

1/2 cup shredded zucchini

1 cup vanilla soymilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the cake, put the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl and stir with a dry whisk until well combined. Put the whole dates, the pineapple, applesauce, and banana in a blender and process until smooth.

Combine the beets, walnuts, carrots, chopped dates, optional currants, and zucchini in a large bowl. Stir in the flour mixture, soymilk, and vanilla extract. Add the blended date mixture and mix well.

Pour the batter into a 9 x 13-inch nonstick baking pan or tow 9-inch round nonstick cake pans. Bake for an hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan an d transfer to a serving platter.

To make the icing, put all the icing ingredients in a blender an process until smooth and creamy. Spread over the warm or cooled cake.
TIP: Because this cake batter is exceptionally moist, the one-hour baking time, which is longer than necessary for most cakes, is needed here

Ellen Jaffe Jones was a 2-time Emmy-winning investigative reporter for 18 years. After her mother, aunt and both sisters got breast cancer, she became a certified personal trainer (AFAA) and running coach (RRCA), and a volunteer girls high school cross country coach. She runs 8 minute miles, places in her age group at 5K races and ran her first marathon at 58. She is on an extensive book tour with “Eat Vegan on $4 a Day,” which became a best seller as soon as it was published last June. For availability, she can be reached at www.vegcoach.com.

What other chocolate desserts do you like to eat after dinner?

Tags: cake, chocolate, desserts, Friday Desserts, fruit