This Chocolate Zucchini Cake is bound to be a new favorite for chocolate lovers! Fabulously moist, decadently rich, and impossible to resist! The perfect way to enjoy the summer bounty!
Looking for more zucchini recipes? Make sure to try my Zucchini Quiche and Zucchini Fries!
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
If you love chocolate cake, this Chocolate Zucchini Cake is most definitely for you. It’s rich, decadent, moist and surprise, there’s zucchini inside!
Three different chocolate elements assure a deep chocolate flavor in this amazing chocolate zucchini bundt cake.
We’ve been enjoying baking up all kinds of zucchini recipes but, if you’re a chocolate lover like me though, this Chocolate Zucchini Cake is the recipe for you.
Reader Review
“I made this cake yesterday and OMG is it delicious. Everyone loved it. My 6 and 3 year old devoured the cake. My husband and co-workers couldn’t believe it had zucchini in it. Absolutely delish. And easy…so easy to make. Thank you for this recipe.” – Tracy
Zucchini Recipes
There is nothing I look forward to more in the summer than making up all kinds of amazing zucchini recipes with zucchinis from our garden. Here are some of our favorites:
- Zucchini Spice Cake
- Amazing Zucchini Brownies
- Zucchini Carrot Oatmeal Cookies
- Lemon Zucchini Cake
- Zucchini Quiche with Bacon and Hash Brown Crust
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Bread
Rich Chocolate Flavor
The rich, chocolate flavor comes from the cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips inside the cake and an incredibly delicious chocolate glaze that is drizzled on top.
To really enhance the chocolate flavor, I’ve added a bunch of mini chocolate chips to the mix which creates little pockets of rich chocolate flavor that just melt in your mouth with each bite. Delicious!
The glaze is super simple and while not entirely necessary on this cake, looks gorgeous and adds a bit of sweetness.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe
There is just something wonderful about a homemade chocolate cake with hidden veggies. I have served this recipe to so many people who have doubted that there was even zucchini in the cake – it’s just that good!
Chocolate Zucchini Cake Ingredients
Let’s take a quick look at what you’ll need and, as always, you can find the full, printable recipe at the end of this post:
For the cake:
- zucchinis – it’s not a zucchini cake without the zucchini! This ingredient adds so much moisture to this chocolate cake.
- unsweetened cocoa powder – gives the cake rich chocolate flavor.
- butter – for flavor
- eggs – room temperature eggs work best.
- granulated sugar – this recipe calls for 2 cups but you can reduce to 1 1/2 cups without any issues.
- unsweetened applesauce – I use this in place of vegetable oil just like I do in my carrot cake recipe.
- vanilla extract – a must for flavor! I use a good amount in this recipe.
- all purpose flour – the structure and base of this cake recipe.
- baking soda – our leavener.
- salt – to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients.
- ground cinnamon – this is completely optional but I do love it in this recipe.
- semi-sweet mini chocolate chips – use mini chocolate chips for the best results. They melt into the cake better.
For the chocolate glaze:
- semi sweet chocolate chips – you can use bar chocolate instead if you prefer. Just chop finely before melting.
- butter – gives the glaze richness and a lovely texture.
- light corn syrup – makes the glaze so shiny.
- vanilla extract – for flavor and depth.
How To Make Chocolate Zucchini Cake
I just love how simple this cake is – super easy to prepare when you don’t have a lot of time. Here is a quick overview of how to make this easy cake:
- Preheat oven and prepare bundt pan.
- Prep zucchini. Grate zucchinis and let sit on paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Blot dry with a towel.
- Combine wet ingredients.
- Whisk together dry ingredients.
- Stir dry into wet just until combined.
- Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Bake. Takes about 60 to 70 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Prepare chocolate glaze. Prepare the glaze when the cake has cooled.
- Glaze cake and serve.
I’m a sucker for a good bundt pan and I really love how this glaze looks on a bundt cake.
Variations To Try
- Make cupcakes instead. I love parchment cups for this recipe to ensure the cupcakes don’t stick to the wrappers. You’ll need to bake for about 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Make in loaf pans. This cake is delicious in 2 loaf pans as well and just as easy so if you don’t have a bundt cake, this is a great option.
- Layered Cake. This cake can be made as a layered cake using two 8 inch or 9 inch pans. This Whipped Ganache frosting would be amazing on this cake.
- Add some nuts. Pecans and walnuts are a delicious addition.
- Omit the glaze. The glaze adds an additional layer of chocolate decadence but if it’s too much for you, just serve with some fresh whipped cream on the side and a sprinkle of cocoa powder.
Make Ahead and Storage
Can this cake be made ahead of time? Yes. This cake can be made a day or two in advance. I recommend making the glaze the day you plan on serving.
Can you freeze chocolate zucchini cake? Yes. Let cake cool completely and then wrap individual slices or whole cake in plastic wrap and then foil. Transfer to a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing the cake without the glaze.
More Cake Recipes To Enjoy
- Chocolate Pound Cake
- Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
- To Die For Carrot Cake
- Orange Creamsicle Cake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake
- Easy Ice Cream Cake
How To Make Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 medium zucchinis you want 2 to 3 cups shredded zucchini total
- 7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups applesauce unsweetened
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Glaze
- ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10 cup bundt pan generously and set aside.
- Grate the zucchinis and place on several layers of paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Use a towel and gently press the zucchini to release the moisture. You don't want it completely dry, just slightly less wet. I ended up with a couple of cups of grated zucchini but it honestly doesn't affect the recipe if you have more or less. I would say between 2 and 3 cups is perfect.
- Whisk granulated sugar, eggs, applesauce, butter, and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder together. Reserve a couple tablespoons of the mixture, set aside.
- Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture just until combined.
- Combine the chocolate chips with the reserved flour mixture. Add chocolate chips and grated zucchini to the batter and stir just until all ingredients are combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake the cake for 55 to 65 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool for ten minutes before inverting onto a plate. Let cake cool completely.
Chocolate Glaze
- Combine butter, chocolate chips, and corn syrup in a microwaveable dish. I use my Pyrex glass measuring cup because it makes it easy to drizzle the glaze over the cake.
- Heat in the microwave in 30 seconds intervals at 50% power, stirring in between, until nicely melted.
- Stir in vanilla extract. Drizzle over the top of the cooled cake. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published July 5, 2012.
Sunny says
Hi thank you for your recipe. I would loveee to make this but they don’t sell zuchinis in my country. Can I substitute this?
Terri Toscani says
Hi…I have to tell you that I’ve made this cake twice, and both times…WOW. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I’d say that I didn’t change a thing, but I can just tell you that I added a smidge of buttermilk to the recipe (as if it needed to be moister? nope! But I did it anyway!) and also went with gluten free all purpose flour (1:1 match with the flour in the recipe). You cannot even TASTE zucchini…alll you taste is this amazingly rich, chocolate cake for the true choco-holic. The family ate it the first time and didn’t even know there was zucchini in there. LOVE this, and thank you so much for sharing this FAB recipe. It’s a keeper for sure
carol kervitsky says
It sounds delicious. I think I will had chopped walnuts to it as well.
Gladys Kline says
hi,i have a choc zuc cake recipe i have been making for about 30 yrs,some dif in mine but sounds good
Sina says
Just wanted to let you know that your recipe even reached out to Germany. I just saw in on Facebook a couple days ago and I have so many zucchinis, so my cake is in the oven right now. I sure think it will be delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Robin says
So GOOD. Everyone loves it.
I pulled it out of the oven at 40 minutes but I think 35 would have been fine.
Ren says
I don’t have wheat flour and don’t want to buy any how should I adjust the recipe?
Stephanie says
I would use the same amount. Conversely I am going make this later tonight to surprise my family flying in and going to use all whole wheat white. I don’t have wheat flour either. I have baked a lot. The only trick with changing up the flour is the more wheat you use the more dense the bread or cake might be so using something like vital wheat gluten helps give it a bit more elasticity.
Nancy Noel says
Do you have to use a bundt pan?
Jo says
How low do you think I could cut the sugar? 1/2 C? Between the applesauce and the corn syrup, I feel like this is going to be pretty sweet already, and I could cut myself a bigger slice, too 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I would try one cup first before cutting it down that far. There is only 1 tablespoon of corn syrup and that is is the glaze. Plus, I always use unsweetened applesauce. Let me know what you try and how it turns out!
Josephine says
Really looks good and would love to give it a try. The recipe is calling for a 1/2 c of wheat flour. Does it makes any difference if I will use just all purpose flour, instead of 11/2 c of all purpose flour I’ll make it 2c instead. Is that ok?
Rachel Page says
Mmmmm…Chocolate Cake!
Steph says
We LOVED this cake! I love baking and have made some pretty yummy things over the years, but I’m pretty sure this was the MOST delicous creation I’ve ever made. I left out the cinniman, only had white flour and used 3 cups of zucchini. I ran out of zucchini, so today I’m trying it with shredded pumpkin & got wheat flour. We’ll see if it’s just as yummy. Thanks for sharing the great recipe!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
So happy to hear that!! Let me know how the pumpkin goes, I bet it’s delicious!
Tracy says
September 8, 2014
I made this cake yesterday and OMG is it delicious. Everyone loved it. My 6 and 3 year old devoured the cake. My husband and co-workers couldn’t believe it had zucchini in it. Absolutely delish. And easy…so easy to make. Thank you for this recipe.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yay! So glad you gave it a try Tracy! It’s one of our favorites 🙂
cascademama says
Made this cake yesterday. It turned out to be a dense cake with excellent balance of flavor. Not fudgy like a brownie, but super moist and rich. I used unsweetened homemade apple sauce. Also made sure to let the zucchini sit on the towels and really squeezed out the moisture.
At first you taste this sort of fresh and earthy chocolate followed by a subtle cinnamon flavor. I thought the cake was perfect, but the additional icing made it too sweet! I will substitute a dollop of whipped cream next time to balance the density and richness. My husband, who has a sweet tooth, LOVED IT- especially with the icing! My kids LOVED IT. They all said – make this again, and don’t change anything!
Next day (because I had to sneak a slice with my morning coffee) DELICIOUS! In fact I don’t know if it was letting it sit a day or the coffee- but I liked the texture and flavor even better.
cascademama says
Spongy – that would be a better adjective to describe this cake. Moist, rich, flavorful and spongy.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks so much!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I actually like this cake better the next day too and for some reason, it’s even better cold. But I do tend to like my cakes cold 🙂 So glad your family enjoyed it!!
tina says
I’ll be making this in double batches!!!!!! The only changes I made was adding a handful of walnuts and using 2 loaf pans and baking for 55 minutes…..THE BEST!!!!! Tell everyone they won’t like it so you can have more!!! Thanks for a great recipe!!!!
Shannon says
I made this cake for my birthday and it is wonderful, nice chocolate flavor and the glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness, and of course very moist. I did reduce the sugar in the cake to 1 1/4 cups rather than 2 cups as I don’t like it super sweet, I was probably on the higher end of my zucchini amount, otherwise I followed the recipe. I will be making this again, plus it’s so pretty having the bundt shape. Thank you for sharing this recipe.