Baking with Kids: Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake
I pity people who don't bake with their kids. I started last year with a key lime pie. He was old enough to hold the mixer while I added the ingredients to the bowl. Since then we have made french toast, pancakes, bread, pizza dough (and pizza), muffins and cupcakes, jelly rolls and (of course) cookies. He is usually responsible for the eggs, pouring in anything I have measured and mixing. Lately we are working on “painting” or greasing the pans. His favorite part of the job is licking out the bowl, but he's a pretty good helper otherwise.
PBS Grating Summer Squash. My recommendation - clean the box grater immediately after using it. Its heck to get dried-on squash out of those little holes...
Some recommendations on baking with kids.
This is quality time. Let them lick the bowl, crack eggs (into a separate dish, you get to watch for shells). Turn the light on the oven so they can watch it cook. If it has to be “just so” do it when they aren't around.
Safety, safety safety. Knife and stove common sense rules still apply. Particularly if you have the oven cranked to 550 for pizza. Then its “Put your hand on the fridge while I have the oven open.”
Get a stool or chair for them to stand on so they are at the right height.
Its not a clean process. Its also not as fast as doing it yourself. But if you want clean and fast, go to the bakery.
Take the butter out early if you even think today might be a baking day. You can always put it back, but its takes a long time for it to soften.
Start early enough so that they dont have tired meltdowns. After dinner is not a good time to start something. You can however start a sugar cookie recipe before dinner (most need an hour chill time in the fridge) and then do just the slicing and baking afterward if you are early eaters.
- Everyone has to clean up. If your kids are old enough to bake, they are old enough to help clean up after. The youngest can put dishes in the sink. Responsibilities increase from there.
(Expect more from me on baking with kids. I have a book on cooking with kids and some of the food looks....kid but not adult friendly if you catch my drift. Together we should make things that we both enjoy eating together. If anyone has contributions, I'd love to hear!!)
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake
You don't need to have a child to make this recipe, merely an abundance of zucchini or summer squash. I find it's a good way to use those "escapees" that have grown a little to big for their britches. Just be sure to cut out any hard seeds.
½ cup butter
½ cup oil
1 ¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 ½ c flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ cup yogurt, buttermilk or soured milk (½ tbsp white vinegar added to 1/2 cup milk)
2 cups grated zucchini (skin on)
6 (or more) oz chocolate chips (1 cup)
1) Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9x13 pan or 2 8” pans (square or circle)
2) (Use paddle attachment if you have a choice. Squash gets tangled in the whisk.) Cream butter, sugar and oil until fluffy. Beat in eggs & vanilla.
3) Add 1 cup flour, cocoa, baking soda & salt. Mix briefly to combine. Add milk, mix. Add the other 1 ½ c flour. Beat until uniform in color.
4) Stir in zucchini. Mix thoroughly. Sample a few chocolate chips for quality control. Add some chips to batter and save 1 cup or so for the top.
5) Pour into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake for 55 min or until toothpick comes out clean.
Tell the health nazis about the zucchini. Dont tell anyone else - they might not try it. Its the moistest, most delicious cake I know how to make from scratch. Actually, never mind that. If they don't eat it, that leaves more for you.
Can you see the summer squash? Can you see the delicious? Can you see I couldn't resist eating some even though it was supposed to be for Sunday Dinner?