Chocolate Chip Zucchini Snack Cake

The kids are back in school, the weather is getting slightly cooler, and there is an abundance of zucchini in the garden.  This cake is super moist...and it would be considering it has buttermilk, zucchini and applesauce in the recipe!  The cake has a bright orange and chocolate flavor, the chocolate chips are just delightful, they melt in your mouth and make the cake extra chocolatey.  My kids like this cake as an after school snack....served with baby carrots and cucumber of course... and NO, the cake doesn't taste like zucchini.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Snack Cake

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
2 eggs
Zest of 1 large orange
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups grated zucchini (do NOT peel the zucchini.  Just grate it.  Get a colander and line it with paper towels, put the grated zucchini in the colander and let it drain until ready to use.)
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips (divided use)

1.  Preheat oven to 325 and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish, and set aside.
2.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, whisk gently.
3.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat in orange zest and vanilla extract.
4.  Add the flour and cocoa powder mixture and the buttermilk to the butter and sugar alternately.  Start with adding third of the flour mixture, and half the buttermilk.  Then, add another third of flour of mixture, and remaining buttermilk.  Finish up with the last third of flour mixture.   Make sure the batter is thoroughly combined after each addition.
5.  Fold in applesauce, zucchini (make sure the zucchini has been drained of all liquid) and 1 cup of chocolate chips.
6.  Pour batter into prepared baking dish, add remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips to top of batter and bake for about 50 minutes, or until when the cake passes the fork test.  (Stick a fork in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, the cake is done....hence the phrase "stick a fork in me, I'm done"