It's moist, flavorful, and feels decadent when in reality is built on wholesome ingredients like zucchini, teff flour, walnuts, dates & olive oil. I adapted it to make it vegan by swapping aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas ) in place of the eggs.
Ingredients
- extra-virgin olive oil and all-purpose flour for the pan
- rounded 1 1/4 cup (135g) walnuts
- 2 1/2 cups (380g) Medjool dates
- 3/4 cup (110g) teff flour
- 1 3/4 cup (300g) grated zucchini
- 1 1/3 cup (180g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 9 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
- 1 tablespoon (15g) lemon juice
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (245g) extra-virgin olive oil
- grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Oil a bundt pan and lightly dust with flour.
- While the oven is heating up, toast the walnuts until fragrant. Let them cool, chop them in a food processor. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the dates and teff flour. Pulse until the dates are chopped and just starting to clump. Don't let them puree into a paste. Add them to the chopped walnuts. Toss everything together. This should look like gravel. Set aside.
- Grate the zucchini, then use a sieve to press out as much liquid as possible. Either discard the juice or use later for green juice or add to a soup.
- In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the aquafaba and lemon juice on medium-high speed until the mixture resembles lightly-whipped cream, about 5 minutes.
- With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another 5 minutes, at which point the color will be lighter and the mixture should be the consistency of hollandaise sauce.
- Add the vanilla and lemon zest and beat for a few seconds to mix.
- Add half of the flour/spice mixture and beat at medium-high speed for about 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the remaining flour/spice mixture. Beat on medium-high for 20 seconds to develop the cake's structure. Again scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the zucchini and beat on medium speed until uniformly combined. Scrape down, then add the teff/date/walnut mix. Beat until just combined. Do not overmix. Scrape down the sides and mix the bottom of the bowl to make sure the mixture is uniformly mixed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Serve slices warm or at room temperature.
- Store at room temp for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.