Caramel Zucchini Cake

Look at all that ooey-gooey caramel, ughhhhh.

Recipe adapted from here

I want to start off this post with a gigantic apology. I feel so bad that I haven't been posting at regular intervals, ever since I started this accounting apprenticeship I have slacked, but I have good reasons, I work like a dog. Yes, I am awake at five o'clock each morning, leave the house at 5:50 am, start work at 6:45 am, and am at the office until about 6:30-7:30 pm, then drive home which takes 45-60 minutes each night. By the time I get home I make my lunch, watch tv for about an hour then jump into bed. I do this Monday to Thursday. When the weekend comes I don't really want to do anything but sleep and relax, sleep and relax, sleep and relax, and throw in some sushi here and there. I do bake once in a while but it has been cut back dramatically and I feel really sad about that. I'm only at this job until the middle of November though, and then the Christmas baking begins! Until then, my posts will be sporadic which I do apologize, but to all of you who do follow my blog I am thinking about you and miss you lots. Hope to see you guys soon on a regular basis.

Thanksgiving, how I love thee. Even though I don't eat turkey anymore, stuffing grosses me out, and I don't really eat potatoes anymore I still absolutely love Thanksgiving. It incorporates the spices I looove (in pumpkin pie, or other fancy desserts), there is butternut squash, gorgeous hues of green in freshly tossed salads with cranberries and goat cheese and many other delicious dishes.

I decided I was going to make dessert... which doesn't surprise all of you I'm sure. I decided to take a sinfully delicious cake and make it even more decadent. This was so so so so sooooooo good. I was seriously in heaven. I took one piece. Then I took another. Then seriously contemplated cutting myself another but stopped since I knew what was in it. It was, I can't even tell you. The fact that there was zucchini in it too made me feel really good because nobody even noticed it and it gave you a little bit of healthy nutrition... amongst lots and lots of fat. This was so worth it though, and there are only a few times a year where family gets together to celebrate so why not indulge just a little bit?

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup vanilla-fortified soy milk
• 1/4 cup sweetened applesauce
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 shredded zucchini
• 3/4 cup Skor chipits

Topping Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 6 tablespoons sweetened applesauce
• Walnuts to go around the cake
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon plus other spices and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, butter and vanilla.

Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in zucchini and caramels.

Make sure the caramels aren't stuck together when you add them in. I sprinkled them in a few at a time, separating them by hand.

Cut out a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of your spring form pan. Place parchment paper in pan. Spray pan and paper with nonstick spray (or you could butter it). Pour batter into pan.

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients. Sprinkle topping over batter, making sure the topping covers the batter. Place cake in preheated oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven, allow to cool, remove springform rim and savor the goodness!

Eat up!