This moist chocolate zucchini cake recipe is an indulgent and delicious dessert, made with healthy ingredients and topped with fudgy chocolate frosting!
The best chocolate zucchini cake
The next time you find yourself with an abundance of leftover zucchini, turn it into a showstopping chocolate cake.
With a fluffy texture and bold chocolate flavor, the dessert will impress all of your party guests. No one can ever taste the hidden zucchini.
Just one rich, decadent bite, and you will never go back to boxed cake mix again!
Also be sure to try this Chocolate Mug Cake
Chocolate zucchini cake health benefits
Superfood zucchini adds moisture, softness, vitamins and nutrition to the dessert without all the extra fat and calories.
Packed with a full cup of zucchini, the recipe gives you options to make it whole grain, gluten free, sugar free, oil free, low fat, egg free, and vegan.
While it is still a dessert and should therefore be consumed in moderation, this zucchini chocolate cake is a much healthier choice than traditional chocolate cake recipes.
At just a hundred calories, each slice is cholesterol free and offers iron, potassium, fifteen percent of the RDA for fiber, and over five grams of protein.
Step by step recipe video
Watch the easy chocolate zucchini cake recipe video, above
Healthy chocolate zucchini cake ingredients
The recipe calls for flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, pure vanilla extract, water, oil or almond butter, sugar or a sugar free sweetener, optional mini chocolate chips, and a cup of zucchini.
Use unsweetened cocoa powder for at least half a cup of the cocoa. The other fourth cup can either be Dutch cocoa powder or additional regular cocoa powder.
Flour options that work well include all purpose white flour, whole grain spelt flour, and some brands of gluten free flour blends. Oat flour works but yields a denser cake. We have not yet experimented with whole wheat flour or pastry flour and recommend against grain free almond flour or coconut flour here.
For the optimal texture, choose a granulated sweetener such as classic white sugar, coconut sugar, or xylitol for a no sugar option. Report back with results if you try substituting a liquid sweetener like pure maple syrup or honey.
Swap out an equal amount of yellow summer squash for green zucchini if you prefer. Frozen zucchini is too watery and should be avoided.
Our favorite type of oil to achieve the best results is coconut oil. Vegetable oil, canola oil, and sunflower oil also perform well, as does softened almond butter. You may replace up to half of the oil with sour cream if you wish.
Or replace all of the fat with Greek yogurt or mashed banana and make a low calorie zucchini cake with a soft muffin texture. This healthier option is great for breakfast.
The cake requires no eggs and is naturally plant based as long as you use choose a dairy free frosting and optional chocolate chips.
How to make the chocolate zucchini dessert
Gather all ingredients, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease a standard nine by thirteen inch baking pan, or line the bottom of the pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Set this cake pan aside.
Whisk the cocoa powder, flour, salt, baking soda, sugar or sweetener, and optional chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl until evenly mixed.
For a one bowl zucchini cake, stir the water, vanilla extract, oil or softened nut butter, and zucchini directly into the bowl with the dry ingredients until just evenly combined. Do not overmix the batter, because that could result in a dense or tough cake texture.
Spread the chocolatey mixture into the prepared baking pan and smooth it down with a spoon or a spatula.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for thirty minutes or until the cake is risen and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
Frosting recipes and ideas are listed below. To prevent the frosting from melting, let the chocolate zucchini dessert cool fully before adding any icing.
If you can wait, I highly recommend letting the chocolate cake cool and then refrigerating it in the pan loosely covered with a cloth towel overnight. The flavor is so much richer and sweeter the next day.
This recipe makes a rectangular nine by thirteen sheet cake or a round double layer cake. Simply halve all of the ingredients for a smaller eight inch cake.
If you experiment with baking the zucchini cake in a loaf pan or Bundt pan, please let us know how it goes.
Tips and tricks for shredding zucchini
The cake calls for one cup of zucchini, which is about one or two zucchinis, depending on the size of the vegetables.
A food processor is the easiest tool to create shredded zucchini. Chop the veggie into medium pieces, then pulse until finely grated. Stop a few times to scrape down the sides of the machine.
Measure the one cup of zucchini after processing. Thick zucchini contain more moisture than thin ones, so blot excess moisture with a paper towel if needed.
Converting the recipe to grams
If you like baking with a kitchen food scale for the most accurate results, here are the amounts of each ingredient by weight.
Measure out 240 grams flour, 300 grams sugar, 60 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, 6 grams salt, 5 grams baking soda, 240 grams water, 160 grams shredded fresh zucchini, 96 grams oil (or 120 grams almond butter), and 22 grams pure vanilla extract.
Old fashioned chocolate frosting
When it comes to frosting your homemade zucchini chocolate cake recipe, you have numerous options.
To make a basic three ingredient chocolate buttercream frosting, simply use beaters or a stand mixer to whip one cup of salted butter, three cups of powdered sugar or erythritol, and half a cup of unsweetened or Dutch cocoa powder.
I also like to add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and a little milk or coffee if the frosting is too thick. Vegan butter and milk work as well.
Other chocolate cake icing options include this Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, store bought chocolate or vanilla icing, or a dusting of powdered sugar and sliced bananas, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week or loosely covered at room temperature for a day. You may also slice and freeze leftover cake in an airtight covered container for up to three months. Thaw before serving.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour (or try this Keto Cake Recipe)
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
- 1 1/2 cup sugar or xylitol for sugar free
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (160g)
- 1/2 cup oil or almond butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- To make a chocolate zucchini cake, preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan or two 8-inch pans. Whisk all dry ingredients in a large bowl. If using almond butter, gently warm it until it is easy to stir. Add the wet ingredients, including the zucchini, into the bowl. Stir until just evenly mixed. Smooth into the pan. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Let cool before frosting. Loosely cover and store at room temperature for one day, or refrigerate leftovers for up to a week. You may also freeze slices in an airtight container for up to three months.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
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More Vegetable Dessert Ideas
Loni Gofran says
Is there a recommended/tested way to make this gluten free? Thanks!
CCK Media Team says
We like Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour. It’s our go to gluten free flour for Katie’s recipes.
Rita landa says
Hi don’t know where to ask a question do u have a frosting that is Pareve low fat no butter for zucinni choc cake
CCK Media Team says
All of Katie’s recipes can be butter-free :). As for low fat, I am not sure we have that because her frosting recipes include either cream cheese, coconut milk, or peanut butter. Perhaps the sweet potato frosting? Here is a link to all of her frosting recipes: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/category/healthy-frosting-recipes/
Rita says
THANKS for including gram measurements! I’d like to request you simply include those in parentheses after the American measuring system ingredients. THAT WAY, when we print the recipe, the gram measurements are included and we can measure according to our preferences.