Chocolate-Zucchini Snack Cake

This decadent recipe is from Liz Vaccariello's and Cynthia Sass's Flat Belly Diet Cookbook. Chocolate-Zucchini Snack Cake is indescribably delicious. Seriously, words can't convey the melt-in-your-mouth sensation you get while eating this amazing little snack cake. So is it healthy?

Belly fat has been linked to a long list of adverse health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and breast cancer. Prevention's Flat Belly Diet is a revolutionary plan that has claimed to have already helped more than one million people lose weight around their middles. The diet may help target dangerous belly fat with monounsaturated fats (better known as MUFAs)—found in delicious foods like nuts and seeds, vegetable oils, olives, avocados, and dark chocolate. Does it work? I don't know, but the recipes are delicious.

MUFA: Chocolate

Menu Idea: Serve with 3/4 cup fat free-milk (60) for a meal total of 421 calories.

Preparation time 15 Minutes

Cooking Time 30 Minutes

361 Calories, 5g Protein, 47g Carbohydrates, 20g Fat, 4g Fiber, 36 mg Cholesterol

12 Servings

Chocolate-Zucchini Snack Cake

Ingredients

• 1  3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1  1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2  eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Preparation

1) Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat an 11" X 8" baking pan with cooking spray.

2) Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

2) Whisk the eggs, sugar, yogurt, oil, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl.

3) Whisk in the zucchini and 1 1/2 cups of the chips.

4) Stir into the flour mixture just until blended.

5) Spread into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6) Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups chips over the cake. Spread with a small spatula as they melt to form an icing, placing back into the warm oven, if needed, for about 1 minute.

All that's left is to enjoy your delicious Chocolate-Zucchini snack cake!