Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Sprinkles (#BundtBakers)

Terri of Love and Confections chose this month's theme for the Bundt Baker's --->  SPRINKLES!!  "If it can be sprinkled and used to decorate a Bundt inside or out, then it's fair game" were the guidelines given by sweet Terri. I couldn't be more delighted with this theme.  Sprinkles on top makes everything better is what I believe.  Don't you?!  Not only does sprinkles make ice cream, whipped cream, cake or cupcakes look fancy and pretty but also yummy and special too.  Thank you, Terri for picking such a brilliant theme this month!

Right away I knew I wanted to use the chocolate sprinkles I had in my pantry from King Arthur Flour.  Some sprinkles can have a very bland and stale taste but NOT the chocolate sprinkles from King Arthur.  These chocolate little treasures are like mini chocolate kisses landing on your tongue when eaten.  I honestly think they are the BEST sprinkles ever! Paired with these sprinkles I thought it only appropriate to bake a recipe from King Arthur Flour and I knew exactly which one I wanted to bake -  Chocolate Zucchini Cake.  I had baked this cake earlier this summer and was astonished at how simple and delicious the recipe came out.  It was not only moist but decadent.  Cocoa powder along with semi-sweet chocolate chips and espresso powder all make up the rich chocolate flavor and then the zucchini and sour cream added into the batter allows for a ultra moist cake. This is a cake that you will make once and then make again and again.  You can bake it in a 9x13 or a bundt pan - either way is perfectly fine.

Frost the cake with chocolate chips that are melted onto the warm cake (as the original recipe calls for) or glaze it with a simple vanilla glaze and sprinkle it with SPRINKLES as I did. Either way is delicious.  Also, keep in mind that you can use whole pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour - I used half whole wheat and half AP flour and it gave the cake a wonderful texture and flavor. 

Triple Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake with Sprinkles
                                               (recipe from King Arthur Flour)

Cake Ingredients: 
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1 1/2 cups sugar - I also have used 1 cup maple syrup and 1/2 cup sugar with great success)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
2 tsp espresso powder, optional but tasty
3 cups shredded zucchini (about a 10" zucchini)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Vanilla Glaze Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter, melted
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp milk (more or less if needed for desired consistency)
chocolate sprinkles

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease bundt pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and oil until smooth.  Add in sugar, vanilla extract, baking soda and powder and salt until smooth.  Beat in eggs.

Add in sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt alternately with the flour.  Add in cocoa and espresso powder, mixing until all is smooth.

Gently fold in shredded zucchini and chocolate chips.  Spoon batter into prepared pan and place into oven.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center.

Mix up glaze while cake is cooling completely.   In a medium bowl combine all glaze ingredients - except for the sprinkles -  mix until smooth.  Pour glaze over cooled bundt and then sprinkle with sprinkles.  Serve with happiness!

br /> Here are this month's "Sprinkles" Bundts:

• Black Onyx Bundt Cake from Living the Gourmet
• Bourbon Walnut Pound Cake from Magnolia Days
• Bubblegum Frosted Funfetti Vanilla Bean Bundt from Baking in Pyjamas
• Bundt Cake Extra Chocolateado from la mejor manera de hacer...
• Celebration Confetti Bundt Cake from Cali's Cuisine
• Chocolate Bundt Cake with Sprinkled Pink Glaze from la cocina de Aisha
• Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake from Tea and Scones
• Chocolate Sprinkles Sour Cream Bundt Cake from Spice Roots
• Chocolate Walnut Cake with Sprinkles from FoodJam
• Confetti Bundt Cake with Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting from How to Philosophize with Cake
• Crazy Coco Bundt Cake from Los Chatos Chefs
• Eggless Fingermillet Chocolate Bundts with Sprinkles from Seduce Your Tastebuds
• Eggless Vanilla Confetti Bundt Cake from SimplyVeggies
• Funfetti Bundt Cake from Liv for Cake
• Funfetti Bundt Cake from Recipes, Food & Cooking
• 'Guild the Lily' Bundt from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Irish Butter Chocolate Sprinkle Cake with Ganache from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Jammin' Jimmies Bundt from Noshing With The Nolands
• Nutella Bundt with Nutella Glaze from Food Lust People Love
• Oatmeal Cookie Bundt Cake with Sprinkles from The Spiced Life
• Orange Dreamscicle Confetti Cake from Our Good Life
• Pistachio Sprinkled Bundt Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Red Velvet Sprinkle Explosion Bundt Cake from Love and Confections
• Sprinkled Jelly Donut Bundt Cake from Making Miracles
• Sprinkled Triple Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake from Baking and Creating with Avril
• Sprinkles of Love Cake from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Strawberry Sprinkled Bundt Cake from The Freshman Cook
• Vanilla Bundt Cake with Sprinkles from I Love Bundt Cakes
• Vanilla Mini Bundts from Passion Kneaded
• Watermelon Bundt Cake from Eat, Drink and Be Mighty

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving Bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest Board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers can be found on our homepage.

Strawberry Lemonade Bundt Cake ~ #BundtBakers

 Believe it or not it's that time of the month that #BundtBakers present their creative creations of deliciousness.  This month the theme for #BundtBakers was chosen by the extremely talented,   Anne of From My Sweet Heart.  In the cake, on the cake, around the cake or all of it,  lemon was the theme.  Immediately I knew that I wanted to use the combo of strawberries and lemons.   Strawberries paired with lemons are lovely.  The sweetness of the berries balances out the tartness of the lemons and together they are a fantastic pair,   complementing one another fully.   

 I loved this cake from the moment I started mixing all the ingredients together.  The batter is flavored with grated lemon, lemon juice and a small amount of lemon extract.  All three lemon sources allow for the perfect lemon taste to the cake.  A delicate yet perfect lemon flavor shines in each bite of this cake.  Sour cream, butter and eggs all lend a hand in offering a richness to the cake too.  And then lastly the strawberries which are sliced and diced and then tossed with a little bit of flour and powdered sugar are folded into the batter to pair up with the lemon.  A perfection of a cake.

 A simple glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice could easily be used to drizzle over this bundt.  I decided I wanted to have a bit of a fancier topping than just a simple glaze.  I also needed to cover up some of the areas on the cake that didn't release as gracefully from the pan as I had hoped.  I added some melted butter, lemon peel and dash of lemon extract to the powdered sugar and lemon juice to create exactly the topping I was after.  I was delighted visually as was my taste buds.  The frosting topped off the cake perfectly with decadence.

 Embrace the strawberry season as fresh strawberries are in abundance and bake up this cake.  Or buy some fresh strawberries at the super market if you can't pick them fresh.  This cake is perfect for those that want to impress yet simple enough to do so with truly very little effort.  

I send Anne big hugs of happiness for her fantastic choice of a "lemony" theme for our #BundtBakers group this month.  I enjoyed every minute of baking with lemons (and strawberries) by my side!   I also want to thank the creator of this group, Stacey of Food Lust People Love, for the amazing job she does to keep all the bits and pieces together to make the #BundtBakers such a fantastic group each and every month.  Merci beaucoup to both of you!!! 


Strawberry Lemonade Bundt Cake 
               (recipe adapted from I Heart Nap Time) 

Cake Ingredients-
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
zest of 2 lemons
1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz sour cream
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, diced
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 TBSP flour 

Frosting Ingredients-
4 TBSP butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1-2 TBSP fresh lemon juice - more or less depending on what consistency you want

Directions -

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.   Grease and flour bundt pan - set aside. 

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt - set aside. 

In a large bowl beat together butter, sugar and lemon zest for 2-3 minutes.  Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition.  Add in lemon juice and lemon extract. 

Add to butter mixture the flour mixture and sour cream - alternating between the 2, starting and ending with the flour.   

In a medium bowl toss strawberries with powdered sugar and flour.  Gently fold strawberries into batter.  Pour batter into prepared bundt pan.  

Place cake into oven and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.  Bake for 60 min - 1 hr and 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of cake comes out clean.  Cool cake for 20 minutes before inverting onto serving plate.  Cool completely before frosting (or glazing).

While cake cools make your frosting.  Melt 4 TBSP of butter and pour over powdered sugar in a medium bowl.  Stir to incorporate.  Add in zest of lemon,  lemon extract and lemon juice and mix well.  Alter consistency of frosting by adding in more lemon juice if you wish. Pour over cooled cake, using a butter knife if needed to direct the frosting to a specific location.  Slice and enjoy!! 

Happy Strawberry Lemonade Bundt Cake Baking!

• Bee's Knees Lemon Honey Bundt from Food Lust People Love
• Blueberry-Lemon Breakfast Bundt from Cali's Cuisine
• Bundt Cake de Limón from La Mejor Manera de Hacer
• Eggless Lemon Bundt Cake from Seduce Your Tastebuds
• Extra Lemon Bundt Cake from Los Chatos Chefs
• Lavender Lemon Cake from Magnolia Days
• Lemon & Lime Cheese Bundt Cake from Un Mordisco Un Pecado
• Lemon Apple Upside Down Bundt Cake from Simply Veggies
• Lemon Basil Bundt Cake from Tartacadabra
• Lemon Bundt Cake from Recipes, Food and Cooking
• Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Tart Lemon Glaze from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Lemon Confetti Bundt Cake from Our Good Life
• Lemon Curd Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze from I Love Bundt Cakes
• Lemon Honey Bundt Cake from Brunch with Joy
• Lemon Marble Bundt Cake from Jenny and Sweets
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake from Liv for Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seeds Bundt Cake from La Cocina de Aisha
• Lemon Poppyseed Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Lemon Rhubarb Bundt Cake from From Gate to Plate
• Lemon Ricotta and Poppyseed Bundt Cake from Spice Roots
• Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake from Love and Confections
• Lemon-Cranberry Poppyseed Bundt Cake from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Mini Limoncello Bundts from Living the Gourmet
• Pink Lemon Pound Cake from Making Miracles
• Pink Lemonade Bundt from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Rhubarb Pound Cake Bundt with Lemon Glaze from Brooklyn Homemaker
• Soft Lemon Rosemary Bread from Passion Kneaded
• Spring Strawberry Lemon Bundt Cake from Adventures in All Things Food
• Strawberry Lemonade Bundt Cake from Baking and Creating with Avril
• Sweet Lemon Bundt with Blackberry Glaze from From My Sweet Heart

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving Bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board right here. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers can be found on our homepage.