Chocolate and zucchini naked cake with cherries

We already talked a few weeks ago about the naked cake (if you missed it, be sure to see the post in which I talked about the return to the traditional cake ). So Rosa, author of Pemberley Cup&Cakes , showed us an example of it, a red fruit cake that she loved. In view of the great acceptance, today he brings us another naked cake, that just with the appearance I would bet that you will love it.

Although the use of vegetables in the field of confectionery may surprise some, the truth is that it is not a novelty nor is it an uncommon practice. In addition to zucchini, the star of today's recipe, it is also easy to find desserts made with carrots, pumpkin, beets, rhubarb...

Of course, the idea is not to mislead anyone; We are not going to pretend that just by using vegetables, a succulent cake like this one becomes, as if by magic, a guilt-free feast for our consciences. But of course it will be healthier. Well, although a cake will always be a cake with everything that entails, specifically this chocolate and zucchini cake is extremely light and fluffy; the use of vegetable oil, pure cocoa, yogurt and whole cane sugar make it a really balanced snack, with a variety of nuances, in my opinion, exquisite.

Well, what do we get by adding some of these vegetables to our cakes or biscuits? Well, to begin with, vegetables not only help to achieve an extra juicy texture, but also provide a touch of natural sweetness. And, incredible as it may seem, there will hardly be a trace of the original flavor of the vegetable itself used. Come on, if you don't say it, practically no one would suspect that they are there, hidden or camouflaged to take your pastry preparations to an undoubtedly higher level.

Do you dare to take the test?

INGREDIENTS (for 14-16 servings)

- All ingredients must be at room temperature, unless otherwise indicated.

- 1 tablespoon equals 15 ml; 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml

For the cake:

- 325 g of normal wheat flour
- 90 g of pure cocoa powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons chemical yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs (L)
- 300 g of whole brown cane sugar
- Zest of an orange
- 180 ml of sunflower or extra virgin olive oil, mild flavor (according to personal preference)
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 300 g courgettes (approx. 1 ½ large courgettes)
- 125 g of plain yogurt

- A handful of cherries, to decorate

For the filling

- 350 g of canned pitted cherries or light syrup
- 50 g of cherry jam
- 225 g Mascarpone cheese, very cold
- 240 ml of liquid whipping cream (min. 35% MG), very cold
- 120 g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

ELABORATION

From the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C with heat up and down and place the rack in the center position.

2. With the help of a pastry brush, lightly grease two non-stick round molds with a removable base (one 20 cm Ø and the other 24 cm Ø) . Cover the bottom and sides with parchment paper and grease again. We booked.
3. Wash and peel the zucchini, remove the seeds from inside with the help of a small spoon and grate them (we can also chop them very finely with a food processor). Let drain in a large strainer over a large bowl and reserve.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl , with the help of a sieve (or a large strainer , failing that), we sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, chemical yeast, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix with a whisk to combine all the ingredients well and reserve.
5. In another large bowl , we rub the orange zest together with the sugar with the fingertips, this way we will help to release all the oils contained in the skin of the fruit and we will make the most of its aroma.
6. Add the eggs to the flavored sugar and beat vigorously with a whisk (by hand or by machine) for about 3 minutes until you get a fluffy, dense mixture that is visibly paler.
7. Next, we gradually add the oil to the previous mixture in a trickle and without ceasing to stir, now more gently, until fully integrated.
8. Next, add the yogurt, the vanilla extract and the grated or chopped zucchini and mix gently until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
9. Finally, we added the dry ingredients that we had reserved (point 4) in two batches, mixing gently with the help of a spatula, just after each addition until they were integrated and a uniform color was achieved.
10. We distribute the mixture between the two molds that we had prepared, making sure that in both cases the dough reaches the same height, and we give the molds a few small blows against the countertop to eliminate the air bubbles inside; in this way, we also help to level the surface of the dough itself.
11. We bake for about 35-40 minutes or until when inserting a skewer or similar in the center of one of the cakes, it comes out practically clean. (The smaller cake is usually baked a few minutes before the larger one.)
12. Remove from the oven and let cool inside the molds for about 10 minutes. After this time, carefully unmold (when hot, the biscuits have a very fragile consistency) and let cool completely on a wire rack before assembling our cake.

From the filling:

1. In a medium bowl, mix the cherries, previously drained, together with the slightly warm jam and let cool.

2. Once the biscuits and the mixture of cherries and jam have cooled, we place the rest of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and, with the help of some rods (if possible electric, for convenience and speed), we beat until assembled the cream, that is, until the mixture acquires a firm consistency (we must not overdo it or the cream would cut). We have to apply it at the moment or keep refrigerated until use.

Assembly of the cake:

1. We may need to level our cakes before assembling the cake. It is very common for biscuits to acquire that typical domed shape at the top when rising during baking, which can cause our cake to not be completely stable once assembled. The most effective way to do this is using a lyre , so we make sure that they are at the desired height and perfectly straight (failing that, we can also use a long, well-sharpened serrated knife; place it parallel with the work surface and cut being careful not to twist until you get a straight surface).
2. Again with the help of the lyre , we now cut both biscuits crosswise in half, thus resulting in 2 pairs of biscuit discs: 2 with a larger diameter and another 2 with a smaller diameter. Before starting to assemble our cake, we will remove the loose crumbs from each cake with the help of a pastry brush to prevent them from mixing with the filling later.

3. We place one of the sponges with the largest diameter on the base where we are going to present our cake and spread a little more than ¼ of the mixture of Mascarpone and whipped cream with the help of a knife or a smooth spatula, making sure that it reaches the edges well. and it is well leveled. On this layer, we evenly distribute half of the mixture of macerated cherries with the jam, trying to drain the excess liquid.
4. Next, place the other cake of the same diameter on top of the filling, making sure that both discs are well centered, and press lightly so that it fits well.
5. Next, we apply another ¼ of the Mascarpone and cream mixture on the surface of this second cake and spread evenly.
6. We now continue with one of the smaller diameter biscuits, which we will place on top of the previous one, making sure that it is perfectly seated in the center, and we repeat the same operation as in point 3, first extending a little more than ¼ of the Mascarpone filling and cream and later the last half of cherries and jam, draining well.

7. Finally, we cover the filling with the last cake, with the same diameter as the previous one, always making sure that it is centered, and we spread the last ¼ of the Mascarpone and cream mixture on the upper surface of our cake.
8. Decorate with a good handful of fresh cherries and serve.

It keeps for 3 days, well covered and refrigerated.

In the photo, Birkmann ceramic cake stand

GRADES

- For the filling cream to mount easily and quickly, nothing like also keeping the bowl and the rods in the refrigerator until we are going to use them.
- In addition to or instead of cinnamon, you can use any other spice of your choice; cardamom, nutmeg, ginger or allspice, all ground, go great with this type of cake. ¼ teaspoon will suffice.
- I take this opportunity to remind you that successfully preparing and baking your cakes is very simple as long as you take into account the most fundamental points. When in doubt, be sure to visit this post .
- If we had the time, it is highly recommended to let the biscuits rest in the refrigerator, well wrapped in transparent film, overnight. In this way, we allow both the crumb and all the nuances of the different flavors to settle perfectly, thus resulting in a very tasty cake with an ideal consistency.

Happy week, and take advantage of it,
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