Gad-Zukes!

Zucchinis are a prolific little plant. Or, at least, so I’ve heard.

Every year I plant zucchini plants, hoping for the vast harvests I hear about.

And yet, every year, my plants bloom like crazy and then....do nothing.

Yep, I got nothing.

Fortunately for me, there is never a lack of zucchini overload to be had from friends and family who can’t get rid of their motherlodes fast enough.

Such was the case this week when a friend of ours practically begged me to take his extra zucchini and yellow squash to work and give it away for him.

And, as with every other year, the very first thing I want to do with zucchini is make a zucchini cake. Don’t get me wrong, I love to grill it, too, but for that I love the really cute little zucchinis that I can just slice in half and throw on the grill. When it comes to the garden monsters I frequently grab from our lunchroom free-for-all table, its gotta be zucchini cake.

And when it comes to zucchini cake, there is only ONE recipe that will do. My mom’s.
I know, everyone thinks that their mom’s recipe is the best, but mine really is. Everyone loves it, and constantly begs for the recipe. And, until now, I’ve never....EVER....given it up.
But, Mom gave me the go-ahead to post it, so if you are a zucchini lover, this is your lucky day!

Ty's Grandma's Zucchini Cake
4 cups grated zucchini – set aside
1 ½ cups oil
3 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Peel, then grate the zucchini, discarding any large, seedy sections. Press grated zucchini between paper towels to eliminate some of the liquid.

Beat together the oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add in the beaten eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingreditents and add the mixture into the wet ingredients.

Mix in the zucchini and nuts (if using),

Grease and flour a 9x13 pan (I spray with Baker’s Joy). Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 300 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until toothpick comes out clean.And, although my mom says the cake is plenty sweet and moist for her without it, I've never been able to resist topping this cake with cream cheese frosting.I know, this isn't the greatest picture in the world, but just LOOK at how moist that cake is.
WARNING!! WARNING, Will Rogers!!! This is NOT good for you!! But, I firmly believe its worth the risk.

Thanks, Mom!!!