Shhh. This cake has a secret ingredient

One of my favorite conversation tools when speaking about culinary topics is to mention secret recipes. Few food-related subjects garner as much passionate response among both professionals and home cooks.

Most bakers have hidden in their collection at least one top-secret recipe, possibly an heirloom recipe or a fabulous dessert that cemented their culinary reputation. While bakers seldom share these treasures, we nevertheless continue the pursuit of culinary secrets.

After all the flour settles, the real story behind a secret recipe lies in the ingredients, and an unusual ingredient can elevate a recipe from plain to extraordinary.

But how do secret ingredients work, especially in desserts Depending upon the quantity used, they do not offer dominant flavors or textures. With stealthlike invisibility, however, secret ingredients dramatically change the landscape of a dessert while remaining undetected or unidentified.

Success hinges on understanding the nature of ingredients and how they mix, partner and balance with other ingredients in baking recipes.

Let me share with you how I created today's recipe for Pirate's Rum Cake and the secret ingredient behind its superbly moist texture.

When it comes to cakes, our taste buds expect flavorful, moist texture. Bakers use frosting not only to finish and decorate a cake, but also to add moistness insurance. To achieve that without piling on gobs of frosting, bakers rely upon the moistening powers of oil, buttermilk and sour cream.

While fruit purees may be tempting to boost softness, these components add unwanted powerful flavors and sugar to the recipe.

Here's where my secret ingredient, zucchini, comes into play. As a dinner accompaniment, I'll take a pass on this vegetable. But as a baking ingredient, zucchini offers the perfect stealthlike characteristic needed for a secret ingredient.

Stirred into batter, grated zucchini bakes lithe moistness into the cake's texture. The bland taste of zucchini flesh acts like a chameleon by embracing and enhancing the existing flavors in the recipe. As a bonus, zucchini's fibrous texture prevents additional moisture from weighing down the cake.

Every secret ingredient needs a little assistance from powerful partners. Hershey's Special Dark cocoa deepens the color and chocolate flavor, while dark brown sugar provides a hint of molasses enhanced by the ground allspice. Mini chocolate chips bake into bursts of flavor without overpowering the texture.

Last but not least, nothing puts people off the scent of a secret ingredient like a powerful lead flavor. Dark rum plays this role well. Aromatic and tasteful, rum piques the interest and taste buds.

As any pirate will tell, secret ingredients are a wonderful treasure to keep and occasionally share.