Dazz Switalla Flavour Secrets No.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz

This season's produce is in full swing – and while some vegetable are
popular, some are not.

For example, the polarising broad beans or fresh, young zucchini – some people love them, others are not so fussed.

But we all love a nice piece of cake every now and then – and some cakes become favourites, not lasting longer than day.

Cakes with vegetables hidden in them like carrot cake, beetroot and zucchini, are my personal favourites.

Often you wouldn't have a clue the delicious cake you're eating contains a vegetable you usually despise.

So when my son turned his nose up at the zucchini in the fridge, I decided to make a nice, moist yoghurt-based chocolate loaf with grated zucchini and baked with ingredients, so he ate it not realising it contained his most-loathed green vegetable.

There's some feeling you're eating something reasonably healthy, because it contains vegetables and yoghurt, so you can feel less guilt as the cake disappears.

Ingredients

2 eggs
½ cup
olive oil
1 cup raw
or coconut
sugar
1 cup
natural
Greek yoghurt
1 ½ cups self raising flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 large pinch salt
3 cups grated zucchini
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped Whittaker's dark Gharna

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and have two loaf tins ready, greased. Add salt to the grated zucchini and squeeze to drain, squeezing the moisture out.

Now whisk up eggs and sugar in a large bowl and add in yoghurt and olive oil. Mix well then stir in cocoa powder with a spatula.

Add flour and just combine, then add in drained zucchini and chocolate, keeping some for the top.

Divide into the loaf tins, then spread and sprinkle the rest of chocolate over top.

Bake for about one hour, give or take, offering a leeway of 10 minutes depending on oven.

Allow to cool before turning out. Serve to family and friends without telling them it has zucchini in it – you can't tell and it's very more-ish.