Chocolate Zucchini Cake

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We were not blessed with an abundance of zucchini this year. For some reason it just wasn’t our year. I only did one plant because I didn’t want to be overwhelmed and I quickly regretted that choice. Although, it’s now the end of September and I see I have two small ones out there growing so perhaps I’ll get a couple more. It’s been kind of sad because the ones I did get we wanted to eat grilled since that is so good in the summertime. That means I didn’t have much to experiment, or really, bake with. I usually like to freeze a couple loaves of bread to pull out as a quick treat. Not this year! Thankfully we did have enough so that I could finally come up with a chocolate zucchini cake recipe that we love.

Will I Taste the Zucchini?

The short answer…no. Honestly, we couldn’t taste it and the cocoa powder does a really great job of covering it up too. It doesn’t get a green color and as long as you shred the zucchini well it will blend right in. That means if you have some picky eaters in your house they should still enjoy this cake too! 

I’ve said this before but if we are adding vegetables to cake I think that makes them healthy. Right? This summer was the summer for squash cakes. I perfected the summer squash cake and this chocolate zucchini cake, too. All in the name of healthy cakes! Or something like that…

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Ingredients 

• 3 cups flour
• 1 zucchini (shredded)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 and grease 9×13 glass pan.

Mix all of the wet ingredients except zucchini- oil, buttermilk, eggs. Beat well.

Add in the cocoa and sugar. Mix well.

Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix well.

Fold in the zucchini.

Pour into the greased pan. 

Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Tips & Tricks

I’m not including a recipe for frosting or glaze with this cake but you could very easily add anything that you desire. Someday I’ll do some posts with some of the best frostings ever but we are focused on lower sugar levels around here so a lot of times we don’t frost or glaze things. Honestly, this cake is sweet enough that it’s a perfectly wonderful treat without anything else on it. 

The other option that you have to add some pizzazz to this cake is to add some chocolate chips or chunks to the batter. When you are folding in the zucchini you can fold in a cup or two of chocolate to add more. If we are not frosting the cake, we definitely add some extra chocolate for a little bit more flavor. If we are frosting it then I typically will leave them out. I told ya, we gotta cut sugar somehow! 

I highly recommend using a food processor for your zucchini. To be fair, that is how I process mine and how I’m able to make the statement that you won’t be able to see or taste the zucchini in the cake. It’s not just shredded, it’s also processed until it’s almost a liquid. I honestly don’t think you’d be able to taste it either way but you are much more safe from the risk if you put it in a food processor or blender even.

In Summary: Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I promise that this cake will not let you down. I, too, was very nervous about adding vegetables to my desserts but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the results. So surprised, we decided these recipes are keepers and worth sharing with you. Just like I wouldn’t share any products with you that I wouldn’t use myself, I wouldn’t share something with you if we weren’t eating it in our own home. This cake is absolutely delicious and I can only hope that next year we have abundant zucchini that allows me to make it a little more often.

What type of frosting do you prefer on a chocolate cake? I’m definitely a death by chocolate type of gal. Give me all the chocolate frosting on top of the chocolate cake. I can’t get enough!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

A good way to sneak in some vegetables.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups flour
• 1 med. zucchini shredded
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup oil or melted butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375 and grease 9×13 pan.
• Mix all of the wet ingredients except zucchini- oil, buttermilk, eggs. Beat well.
• Add in the cocoa and sugar. Mix well.
• Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix well.
• Fold in the zucchini.
• Pour into the greased pan.
• Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Keyword Cake, zucchini