Super moist and decadent chocolate zucchini cake is enriched with chocolate chips and topped with buttery cream cheese frosting. Made with shredded zucchini (you can’t taste it!), this is the most delicious way to eat your greens.
Why Make This Chocolate Zucchini Recipe?
This chocolate zucchini cake recipe is my great grandmothers recipe and there are a million reasons why you will love it. The rich, moist layers with added decadent chocolate chips will transport you when you sink your teeth into it. Filled with healthy zucchini you will never know its there. Other delicious cakes we have with healthy ingredients are these zucchini bars and these banana bars!
Why you will love this Easy Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Filled with double chocolate!
- Super moist and rich
- Easy to make!
- 2 cups of vegetables hiding inside– you don’t even taste it!
- Covered in creamy rich cream cheese frosting.
- Uses up all the extra summer zucchini from your garden
Ingredients:
you will need your traditional baking ingredients + zucchini!
- flour- regular flour is perfect. If you want to try a gluten free flour I recommend using the brand cup-4-cup.
- baking soda and powder- these are important ingredients for helping the cake being nice and fluffy.
- cocoa- a great brand of unsweetened cocoa powder for the best flavor.
- cinnamon- this gives it more depth and flavor.
- zucchini!
- chocolate chips- optional and highly recommended
Why Use Zucchini in Cakes and Baking?
Adding zucchini to your cakes give the cake a delicious texture and adds so much more moisture! It's mild in flavor so you dont even know its there yet you have the outcome of a perfect cake!
How Do You Add Zucchini To Cake?
There are two traditional ways to add zucchini to baked goods.
- blending (preferred method)
- grating
How to Blend or Grate Zucchini?
- Cut of ends of zucchini
- chop into chunks
- place in blender
- Pulse until it's fine, but not liquid.
- DO NOT ADD WATER
Zucchini has enough liquid that you do not need to add any additional water. If your blender needs a little help at first use a spatula to push down the vegetable. Once the blades hit the flesh it'll take off fast into liquid.
How To Make Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- In separate bowl mix all your dry ingredients together. Everything but the sugar.
- Add your flour, baking soda
- Cocoa powder and cinnamon
- Stir together so all the ingredients are mixed evenly.
5. In your stand mixer add your butter, sugar and beat until combined. slowly add in eggs. Don't beat too long or the mixture will become grainy.
6. While mixing, add in your zucchini,
7. Add in your milk.
8. Mix together.
Combine Your Wet and Dry Ingredients
- Slowly mix in your dry ingredients with your wet ingredients.
- Stir until they are all combined.
- Stir in Chocolate chips.
- Place in a 9x13 Pan OR two round pans for a double layer cake.
Bake Your Cake
If the pan is not non-stick make sure to add a non-stick spray or parchment paper to help with sticking!
Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes.
What is the Best Frosting for Chocolate Zucchini Cake
The original recipe calls for a cream cheese glaze on a bundt ban, which a rich indulgent chocolate frosting would be amazing also.
How To Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and cream cheese and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until incorporated.
- Keeping the mixer on low, add the milk, vanilla and salt.
- Turn the mixer to medium and beat the frosting for 3-5 minutes, or until it is light in color and texture (it will be white in color).
- Keeping the mixer on low, add the milk, vanilla and salt.
- Turn the mixer to medium and beat the frosting for 3-5 minutes, or until it is light in color and texture (it will be white in color).
Frost Your Cake
Let the cake cool, and then add a nice thick layer of frosting.
FAQ'S
You do not! You can omit the chocolate chips and it will still be deliciously chocolatey.
You can use your favorite, I'm partial to milk chocolate but for a more rich chocolate flavor add semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.
Any cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated. So keep it in an air tight container in the fridge. In the fridge it will keep for 1-2 weeks.
Keep In Touch
Please let me know if you make this delicious chocolate zucchini cake! I love to hear from those who make my recipes. If you want to keep up with our newest recipes, make sure you follow is on Facebook and Instagram, and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup cocoa
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup softened butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cup zucchini
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups chocolate chips optional
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 cup powder sugar
- 3 Tbs milk
- 1 Tbs vanilla
- 3 ounces room temp cream cheese
- 1 cup butter
Instructions
- In a separate bow combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon- set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar until smooth, add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg.
- Add chopped zucchini to blender and blend. You will need 2 cups of blended zucchini.
- Stir in milk, vanilla, and zucchini into the creamed butter mixture.
- Mix dry ingredients into batter. If adding nuts or chocolate chips, incorporate slowly.
- Pour batter into well greased bunt pan. Bake 350 for 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife gently around edges and flip cake carefully. Add glaze immediately.
Frosting
- In a stand mixer add your cream cheese and butter. Beat for 1 minute. with the mixer on slow add one cup at a time the powder sugar. Add vanilla, and milk. Turn beater to medium speed and beat for 3-5 minutes. the frosting will become fluffy and white.
Sally Bradley says
How much orange in the cake? How much salt in the frosting? Frustrating as I’m now making frosting so I guess I won’t be adding salt just as I didn’t add orange to cake mix.
Kadee says
Hi Sally, I think there is an error in the recipe card that I'll correct right now. There is not orange in the recipe or salt in the frosting.
Mary Mentiplay says
This is the best chocolate zucchini cake I have made.
Instead of the orange flavour I use coffee ( about 2 teaspoons dissolved in a small amount of hot water, plus extra vanilla) and I only use 1 cup of choc bits.
It is delicious as a dessert warm with cream and/ or ice cream ( cake just dusted with icing sugar.
I also make a large slab as a birthday cake, topped with whipped cream, strawberries and/or raspberries and also make small cakes in muffin tins, great warm or cold, again no frosting. Cake freezes well.
My grandson who is on the autism spectrum and would rather die than eat zucchini is a truly avid fan.