Poor zucchinis. I don’t know anyone who’s ever said, “Oh boy, I could really go for a zucchini right now.” Lots of us were victimized by over-cooked, mushy, flavorless zucchinis at some point in our lives, and even Wikipedia is harsh on them. “…the zucchini is an immature fruit,” it sniffs. “Being the swollen ovary of the female zucchini flower.” An immature fruit. Nothing more than a swollen ovary. Where I come from, those are fighting words.

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After our pastry chef, Debbie Lee, left a few months ago for family reasons I was feeling unloved and unwanted. I felt as overwhelmed and disliked as the humble zucchini, and so in a show of solidarity with my immature and fruity friend, I decided the first dessert I’d put on the menu would involve zucchinis. And lo, the Zucchini Ginger Cake with Cream Cheese Ice Cream (aka Cake & Ice Cream I) was born.

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The cake is a simple ginger and zucchini cake with a little zucchini cream injected inside, and the ice cream is cream cheese ice cream, which is how this dessert really took off. I was thinking about what went with zucchinis and realized that some zucchini cakes were made with cream cheese icing and I figured cream cheese ice cream might be fun. Now I wish I could package and sell it because it’s got a really amazing flavor. There’s not a vegan version yet, but I’m working on it.

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That flower on the side is a candied squash blossom which is edible and actually quite good, despite the fact that it looks like some kind of alien vegetation in a science fiction movie. But the really fun thing on the plate is that dust, which is zucchini candy. Think Nerds made of zucchini and you’ve got the right idea. We basically dehydrate the zucchini for days and days and days until it takes on the consistency of rock candy and then we crumble it over the cake and ice cream. And then we add some cinnamon caramel sauce.

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I never thought I’d say this about zucchini, but right now this might be my favorite dessert. Zucchini, you are loved.

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