Zucchini Cake

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of rectangular pan (13 X 9 X 2) or two 8- or 9-inch round pans, with shortening; lightly flour.
2. Mix sugar, oil, and eggs in large bowl until blended; beat one minute. Stir in remaining ingredients except zucchini, nuts, and frosting; beat one minute. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour into pan.
3. Bake rectangle 40-45 minutes, rounds 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool pan on wire rack.
4. Frost rectangle or fill and frost rounds with cream cheese frosting.
   

Recipe from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook, 1996 version.

CHANGE I MADE:

• The recipe calls for a certain recipe of cream cheese frosting. I just mixed one brick of softened cream cheese with about 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Easy-peasy.
• I did not add nuts. I don't like nuts baked into things or sprinkled on things. You'll rarely see me add the required or optional nuts to a recipe.
• I substituted apple pie spice for the cinnamon and nutmeg. It's basically the same thing, anyhow.
• I used a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Not much whole whaet; just the 1/4 or 1/2 cup I had left.
  

THINGS I LEARNED:

• Zucchini cake is even tastier (seriously!) than zucchini bread. It is, however, less portable and giftable.

OVERALL OPINIONS:

Everyone really liked it. Emma still prefers buttercream frosting to cream cheese frosting, but she still ate it. :)