Aug. 8 was National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day. I was enlightened of that news thanks to my friend, Judie Webster. She’s always up on the newest, and oldest, food trends. She’s a great cook, and has been around the foodie block. I often refer to her while writing one of these silly, if sometimes at least remotely educational, columns.

Judie is a great gardener and artist too. But she’d never admit to any of that.

Anyway, she sent me a photo of the article about Zucchini Day that said, in part, “… clean up your garden and do your 'hood good – leave a bit of your bounty on a neighbor’s porch!” It featured a graphically enhanced photo of a monster zucchini taking up a whole porch.

Exaggerated of course, but we’ve all seen those monsters beginning around this time of summer. We have a giant pumpkin contest; why not a giant zucchini contest? You’ve got me. Maybe because huge zucchinis are turned into chocolate zucchini cake before they become giants.

I found a large one on my own doorstep when I got home from the cottage last night. Thanks Sue! (Sue Mello is also up on all the latest foodie trends, and I often rely on her input for these columns too.) The one she left will make, like, three cakes. That’s, like, a couple more inches around my mid section, which is fine with her. She gets all my outgrown tops.

Now. There’s chocolate cake, and then there’s chocolate zucchini cake. I would never turn down a piece of any chocolate cake. I love cake. Especially chocolate cake.

BUT. If it’s chocolate zucchini cake? O.M.G.!!

Chances are you’ve all had it. It’s not exactly a new foodie trend. Oddly, I could find no origins for it when I Googled it. Not one. And … there is no recipe for it in my old “Joy of Cooking.” Hmmm ...  SOMEONE came up with the weird idea to combine zucchini and chocolate!

Judie said she first came across her recipe (which, oddly, is the exact same one I got from another friend 20 years ago) in the Brattleboro (Vermont) Reformer in the early 70s. “I love that it combines chocolate with veg, and is so moist,” she said. “Everybody loves that it does.”

It is moist, but it’s light and fluffy, too. And chocolate-y. Hello. It’s one of those things that, when you have it, you have to have it again – soon! It is ridiculous. Who would ever have imagined that one of the best cakes you’ve ever eaten is zucchini-based. And lest you think the zucchini makes it healthy? Spare me.

There’s nothing healthy about chocolate zucchini cake. But when you take a bite, especially if you make my favorite shiny dark chocolate frosting to slather it with, you won’t care. In fact you’ll be hard-pressed to forgo a second piece. I didn’t last night. Forgo a second piece, that is.

Okay, I know – blah blah blah. Here’s the recipe:

Blend 1 stick butter or margarine, ½ cup oil, 1 ¾ (or ½) cup sugar; beat in 2 eggs. Combine with 1 tsp. vanilla and ½ cup buttermilk (just add a couple tsp. vinegar to milk). Blend, or sift together, 2 ½ cups flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 12 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. salt, 4 tblsp. unsweetened cocoa, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and blend all together. Stir in 2 cups grated zucchini. Bake in greased, floured 9 x 12 inch pan for around 45 minutes at 325.

(Hint: The zucchini I used was wicked wet. I squeezed out a lot of liquid after grating.)

Now – the frosting. Use whatever you darn well please – whipped cream, cream cheese frosting – whatever. But PLEASE consider using my favorite shiny boiled dark choco frosting on this cake. It’s a breeze, and you will not believe it!

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate (the bar kind), and ½ cup sugar in saucepan. Turn burner on medium high and stir in ½ cup boiling water. Bring to a boil, then stir in 1 ½ tblsp. cornstarch dissolved in 3 tblsp. water. Keep stirring while it bubbles and turns thick and shiny. Remove from stove, and throw in a tblsp. (or more) butter, a pinch of salt, and a tsp. vanilla. I’m tellin’ ya. Just do it. You may want to double the recipe. The cake is big. And everyone is going to want two pieces :-).

Oh – and speaking of cornstarch! After I mentioned the sauteed chicken last week, Judie told me she uses cornstarch instead of flour when she sautees or fries scallops. Well. I did just that with chicken breasts, and I’m telling you, it’s great! So just do that, too.

OK. See ya next week!