Julie Clark
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Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cake
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This fudgy zucchini chocolate chip cake bakes in a bundt cake pan. It’s topped with a smooth, rich chocolate ganache.
Tired of zucchini bread? Put that garden zucchini to good use with this from-scratch chocolate zucchini cake. The secret to this moist chocolate cake is 3 full cups of grated zucchini. With cocoa powder, mini chocolate chips, and a rich chocolate ganache, it’s a triple chocolate dessert everyone will love.
A reader’s feedback:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kathryn says, “I’ve made this cake twice now and am about to make it a third time. This is one of the best zucchini cakes I’ve made. The texture is moist and it has a great intense chocolate flavor. The only change I made was personal preference and that was to put white frosting on it to balance the “bitterness” of the chocolate. Thank you for the wonderful recipe with easy to follow instructions.”
Bake this fudgy zucchini chocolate chip cake with garden zucchini.
I’m always looking for new ways to use up the crazy amounts of summer zucchini that we have in the garden each year. I love s’more zucchini muffins and Reese’s zucchini muffins. And one of our classic favorites is our peanut butter zucchini bread. It’s amazing!
This year I wanted to try something with a deeper, richer flavor. Chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. I took our roasted banana bread and made a few swaps to use up zucchini. And this gorgeous cake with chocolate flavor is the result.
It’s the perfect late summer treat, when you might be craving fall, but still have lots of warm days left in sight. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of raspberry sauce. Irresistible!
Want a savory zucchini recipe for dinner? Try our zucchini pizza casserole.
Enjoy! -Julie
Do you peel zucchini for cake?
You don’t have to peel zucchini for cake. You can if you’d like, or if you 100% don’t want any green showing, then peel away. However, we process our zucchini very small so you can’t see much green. And that way you get the nutrients from the skin.
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cake
This fudgy zucchini chocolate chip cake bakes in a bundt cake pan. It's topped with a smooth, rich chocolate ganache.
Servings 12
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour lightly spooned, then measured
- 1 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder lightly spooned, then measured
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted, or vegetable oil
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 3 cups shredded zucchini
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips
For the chocolate ganache:
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan with shortening, then dust with flour. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Set aside. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- To a large bowl, add the melted coconut oil, melted butter, light brown sugar and shredded zucchini. Whisk with a hand whisk until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then whisk until completely incorporated. ½ cup coconut oil, 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, 3 cups shredded zucchini, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. It’s OK to see some dry flour bits. Fold in the chocolate chips, ensuring all dry bits are incorporated into the flour. Be sure not to overmix. 1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Place pan in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Invert the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place the dark chocolate in a small bowl. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Melt in 10 or 15 second increments, stirring between each interval until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. Pour over the cooled cake.
Notes
- If using fresh zucchini, do not squeeze it dry. If using frozen zucchini, let it thaw and drain off any juices before using it in this recipe.
- Can I use vegetable oil instead of coconut oil? Yes. You can use your favorite oil. Different types may change the texture of the cake slightly so experiment and choose which you like best.
- Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 588kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 337mg | Potassium: 365mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 524IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 3mg
How to Make Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cake: Step by Step
Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients. To a large bowl, add the melted coconut oil, melted butter, light brown sugar and shredded zucchini. Whisk with a hand whisk until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then whisk until completely incorporated.
Fold the two together and add chocolate chips. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. It’s OK to see some dry flour bits. Fold in the chocolate chips, ensuring all dry bits are incorporated into the flour. Be sure not to overmix.
Bake the cake. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Place pan in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Invert the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the ganache. Place the dark chocolate in a small bowl. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Melt in 10 or 15 second increments, stirring between each interval until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. Pour over the cooled cake.
