I am not sure who invented the idea of a chocolate zucchini cake but thank you. Let me introduce you to my version- the Best Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake.
What Makes This Chocolate Zucchini Cake So Good?
Well, first of all, the chocolate. Second of all, the chocolate. Not only is there cocoa powder in the cake to give it a rich deep flavor but there are also chocolate chips mixed throughout. Double the fun!
This cake is also tender and delicious, as any good cake should be.
Plus it is pretty simple to make and holds well for several days. I mean, our's never last that long, but I have heard from others it does.
Ingredients
- Zucchini
- All-purpose flour
- whole wheat flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cocoa powder
- Sugar
- Greek Yogurt
- Oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Chocolate Chips
Notes For Making The Best Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake
I love to use a blend of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. You can use 100% of either one for this recipe, but my family prefers the mix.
My preferred whole wheat flour for cakes, cookies, etc is whole wheat pastry flour. I like to grind my own, but you can also purchase it as well. This is a lower protein flour, which is why I prefer it. This means your baked goods will be more tender than if you used a higher protein flour.
If you have not tried whole wheat pastry flour yet, I recommend it. Even people who think they don't like whole-wheat baked goods, love this.
Next note is I like to use Greek yogurt in this recipe. This also adds to the tenderness of the cake.
After you grate your zucchini to use, let it sit for a few minutes then squeeze it to get all the moisture out.
I love the double chocolate in this. So I use Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa and chocolate chips. Both are essential.
Tips For Getting A Tender Cake
- Do not overmix. This is really important, as overmixing produces a tough cake! Only mix ingredients until they are combined.
- If possible, make sure and use the whole wheat pastry flour I recommended above.
- Oil and Greek Yogurt also works to create a really tender cake as well.
- Zucchini is kind of like bananas, or applesauce. It also helps add in moisture to the cake making it tender.
- Last, don't overbake. This is important all the time, but especially important when we are talking about whole wheat baked goods. My rule of thumb is to pull it out when it is SLIGHTLY under baked. The carry over cooking (residual heat in baked goods), will continue to cook it even after it is removed from the oven.
Step-By-Step Guide For Making The Cake
- Grate your zucchini
- Add your oil and sugar to a bowl. Mix.
- Then add your eggs and vanilla. Mix.
- Squeeze your zucchini then add it and mix as well.
- Add in your dry ingredients. Mix to combine.
- Last up is the chocolate chips. Mix well.
- Pour into your prepared pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out almost clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- I like to take my cake from the pan, but you can also leave it in if you prefer.
- Mix your icing.
- Once the cake has cooled, spread with the icing.
- Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it.
Baking The Cake
I prefer to remove my cake from the pan, not for any particular reason, it's just what I like.
If you want to do this as well, it is much easier if you line the pan with parchment paper. This makes removing the cake a cinch. I show this below in my photos.
I also iced my cake when it was still just slightly warm as I wanted it to melt just a touch on the cake. Again, a personal preference, but so good!!
FAQ Chocolate Zucchini Cake
It is still okay. You may need to bake it for a slightly longer time, but not much.
It will hold well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I mean, it really will hold longer than that, but it is best before then. Just make sure to store in the fridge as the icing has both butter and milk.
You do not. I like it as it makes this cake slightly healthier, but you can also certainly make this with all white flour if you prefer. Baking times might be a little less with the white flour.
You can. Just make sure and thaw it completely first. For the frozen zucchini you have to really make sure you squeeze out all the liquid as the frozen zucchini releases so much liquid after it is thawed.
More Baked Goods
- Carrot Cake Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Rye Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies with Caramel and Pretzels
- Shortbread Cookie With Edible Flowers
- Lemon Chamomile Bundt Cake
- Walnut Pound Cake with Fresh Figs
- Lemon Chiffon Layer Cake
- Whole Grain Popovers
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Equipment
- 9x13 pan or 2- 8 inch cake pans, mixing bowl, grater
Ingredients
- ¾ cup oil You can also use melted butter, but I love the texture oil gives. I used olive oil, but any other neutral oil is good too.
- 1 ½ cup sugar You can use granulated, brown sugar or even coconut sugar if you prefer
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup greek yogurt I used a nonfat plain Greek Yogurt. You can also use sour cream if you prefer
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cocoa I love Hershey's dark cocoa
- 2 ½ cups zucchini, grated
- ¾ cup chocolate chips optional, but really good! I love dark chocolate chips, but use whatever you prefer.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Line your 9x13 or 2- 8 inch cake pans with parchment. This step is optional, but makes it so much easier to remove the cake from the pan when you are done. You can see how I did it in the photo on post. If you don't want to use parchment paper, simply butter or spray the pan. You can also lightly coat with flour if you want to ensure an easy removal.Mix flours, baking powder, salt and cocoa in small bowl and set aside. Next add sugar and oil to medium sized bowl, mix well. I like to mix with a rubber spatula, but use whatever you feel comfortable using. I also prefer to mix this by hand as it is really easy to over mix this batter. Add in eggs. Mix to combine. Then add in the vanilla and yogurt. Again, mix to combine. Dry ingredients are next, mix only to combine. We want to be careful at this point to not over mix. Last up are the chocolate chips and grated zucchini. Again, only mix to combine. Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Place immediately into oven.Mine took about about 23 minutes to bake. it could take anywhere from 20-35 minutes. The time will vary depending on actual temp of your oven, thickness of pan altitude etc. Test with a toothpick. Now, you don't want it to come out completely dry. If you have a little on the toothpick, that is perfect. I always under bake my whole grain baked good just a touch as they will absorb more moisture even after you remove them from the oven. This is called carry over cooking. I wanted to ice mine when it was still a little warm. I did this because I wanted my icing to ooze on the cake. It was a personal choice, of course. If you prefer to wait until it cools do that!Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!
Chocolate Buttercream
Equipment
- hand or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 stick softened butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder I love to use the Heryshey Special Dark
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt ONLY USE IF YOUR BUTTER IS UNSALTED
- milk I used about 2 tablespoons in this recipe, but you can add however much you need to get the consistency you like in an iccing.
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a bowl or your stand mixer. Start with 2 tablespoons milk.
- Mix on high for 2-4 minutes until the icing is light and fluffy.
- If the icing is too stiff, add another tablespoon or 2 of milk. If it is too thin, add in about 2-4 tablespoons more powdered sugar.
- I like to add this icing on the chocolate zucchini cake when it is still fairly warm. It melts down slightly!
- Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!