It is zucchini and fig season so if you have excess and need a recipe to use them up this is it. The zucchini makes the cake moist and the chocolate flavour with the sweet figs is delicious. Serve with a dust of icing sugar or top with chocolate icing.

Ingredients

115g butter, softened
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 ¾ C sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C milk
1 t vanilla essence
2 C self raising flour
½ t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t salt 
 4 T cocoa
2 1/2 C grated zucchini
1/4 C walnuts, chopped
1/2 C chocolate chips

8 fresh figs, sliced in half
2 C icing sugar
2 T cocoa
1 T butter
Hot water
1/4 C walnuts, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 165 degrees C.
2. Cream butter, oil and sugar.
3. Add eggs, milk and vanilla, and beat well.
4. Sift in dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Add the grated zucchini, chocolate chips and mix well.
6. Spread the batter into the prepared cake tin.
7. Arrange figs on top of the batter and sprinkle with walnuts.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes depending on your oven. Test with a skewer, if it comes out clean it is cooked.
9. Once cooled make icing by combining icing sugar, cocoa, butter and enough hot water to make a spreadable consistency. Ice cake and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Enjoy.