Zucchini Carob Mint Cake

Preparation

This quick and easy vegan zucchini carob mint cake can be baked in either a conventional oven at 350 degrees F. for about 25 minutes, or in a microwave oven in about 10 minutes at 1000 watts.

If you don't have oat flour, you can also use quick oats or grind rolled oats in a blender or food processor. Or, if you grind your own grain as we do in our Vita-Mix, you can grind the spelt or wheat berries and oats together in the dry container.

Place the flour in a mixing bowl. Add the carob powder and mix together thoroughly.

Wash and clean the zucchini, cut the ends off, and cut into 2 inch long pieces. Place the pieces in the container of a high speed blender (Vita-Mix type). If you are concerned that the finished volume may be more than 3-1/2 cups, hold back some of the zucchini. Add the pitted dates, mint leaves, and vanilla, cover, and run the blender at high speed until the contents become a smooth puree of 3-1/2 cups in volume. Additional zucchini, apple juice, or water can be added if the volume is less.

Lightly oil a two quart covered glass baking dish, if you desire to serve the zucchini carob mint cake on a plate. We don't oil ours if we are going to cut the pieces in the baking dish, and the pieces don't stick to the glass.

Add the baking powder to the flour mixture, and mix well. Add the zucchini date puree and mix together thoroughly but quickly since the baking powder is beginning to react, and transfer the contents of the mixing bowl into the baking dish. Smooth to the edges, cover and place the zucchini carob mint cake in the oven to bake. We baked this recipe in our microwave oven in about 10 minutes.

When there are bubbles boiling up the sides of the zucchini carob mint cake and the surface is springy to the touch, remove the zucchini bread from the oven, and let cool on a wire rack with the cover remaining on the baking dish.

When the zucchini bread has cooled, it should be slightly separated from the sides of the baking dish. Uncover the baking dish and gently run a flat table knife around the edge of the zucchini carob mint cake to make sure that it has completely separated from the sides of the dish. By gently moving the knife around the edge of the zucchini carob mint cake and lifting the bottom slightly, you can release the cake from the bottom of the baking dish.

If you desire to serve the zucchini carob mint cake on a plate, place a large plate up side down over the top of the baking dish, and holding the plate and baking dish tightly together, turn the baking dish over on top of the plate, and the zucchini carob mint cake should fall out onto the plate.

Serve and enjoy!