We've inadvertently started a family tradition. For Felix's one week birthday we made carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. When he was two weeks old there was that classic vegan chocolate cake from the Depression. So today he is three weeks old and of course there has to be cake. It's apparently what we do. Fortunately I had a giant zucchini languishing in the fridge just waiting to become my mom's classic zucchini bundt cake and a toddler size helper always willing to dump cups of flour in a bowl and lick sugar off the counter (What?).
Also it turns out this new tradition is fantastic for spreading fraternal goodwill. It kind of makes me feel like an accidental mom genius, and I think maybe the tradition should be added to the parenting books. Here's the thing - it gives Desmond and me something special to do together which is so important right now with this new kid in the house demanding so much of my time. It gives us cake. It makes Desmond feel all magnanimous and big brotherly because he is making something for his little brother. But he gets to eat it himself because babies can't eat cake. Hence making him feel all the more big and important and happy... because there's cake.
And yes, just like any time that I suspect I might be a mom genius, even an accidental one, my child had a complete melt down - maybe his biggest tantrum yet, right in the middle of our lovely little family tea and cake party to remind me that this child-rearing thing is all cyclical. The second it's easy it will get hard again and so on and so on teaching me all sorts of stuff along the way.
Zucchini Cake
makes: a big ol' bundt cake
takes: about 80 minutes (20 active), plus 30 to cool
4 cups grated zucchini
2 cups sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup flax meal
3/4 cup water
3 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups all purpose and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, mix together the flax meal and water and set aside to thicken. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Heat the oven to 350. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. Beat the flax mixture for a minute to make sure it's thoroughly goopy and a little bit aerated. Add the zucchini, sugar, walnuts, oil, and vanilla to the bowl and stir. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet with a spatula and stir until just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for an hour or until a knife comes out pretty clean - a few moist crumbs clinging to the blade are fine, but goopy cake batter is not. Depending on your oven and your pan, it may need closer to an hour and fifteen minutes.
Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes, before gently loosening it from the sides of the pan and flipping it onto a plate. Let it cool for at least 15 more minutes before serving. This cake is so wonderfully moist, that it will stay delicious for a few days.
