Chocolate Deception Cake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Using your hands, squeeze as much liquid out of the squash as you can. This will leave you with about 1 cup of densely packed zucchini. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, add the sugar and eggs and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the oil, honey, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder and beat until combined. Add the buttermilk and beat for another 30 seconds.

Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the squash until the strands are separated and combined with the batter. Gradually add the flour mixture to the batter and gently fold it in, just until combined. Be careful not to stir too much. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing from the pan and setting it on the wire rack to cool completely.

For the chocolate honey glaze:
Bring the honey and sugar to a gentle boil in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate and let it sit until melted. Stir the mixture until combined. Add the sugar and stir until thoroughly combined and smooth. Once the loaf is fully cooled, poke some small holes across the top to allow the glaze to seep in, and pour the glaze over the entire top of the loaf, allowing it to run down the sides. Let the loaf stand for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Note: The glaze will remain soft. Store in a cake saver.