Chocolate Zucchini Cake - an incredibly moist chocolate cake topped with a cloud of chocolate cream cheese frosting. No one will ever guess the secret ingredient is green!
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The BEST Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe
This Chocolate Zucchini Cake is so soft and tender. You can’t see or taste the zucchini, but it adds tons of moisture. The chocolate cream cheese frosting is light, fluffy, and decadent without being heavy like a buttercream frosting.
Why Put Zucchini in Chocolate Cake
Zucchini makes cakes and baked goods incredibly moist. It adds tons of moisture without adding any flavor. If you shred it fine enough, you won’t even see it in the baked cake. (My kids won’t eat cake if they see green in it!)
Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
The most incredible frosting for Chocolate Zucchini Cake is this velvety smooth Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s light and fluffy with the perfect hint of tanginess.
Ingredients for Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Flour: All-purpose flour is used in this cake. Cake flour would not be sturdy enough to hold this quantity of zucchini.
Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder: This cake is made with natural cocoa powder, not Dutch processed. Natural cocoa is acidic and reacts with the baking soda to allow the cake to rise. Sift the cocoa powder to remove any lumps.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder: This recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder for lift.
Salt: Salt brings out the flavors and sweetness in baked goods. Without it, they would taste flat.
Butter and Oil: This recipe uses both butter and oil – butter for flavor and oil for moistness.
Sugar: White granulated sugar is used for simplicity of flavor.
Eggs: Use room temperature eggs so they incorporate properly.
Buttermilk: Adds moisture and acidity to react with the baking soda.
Vanilla: For flavor.
Zucchini: I finely shred the zucchini so that it disappears inside the baked cake. There's no need to peel it first.
When zucchini is finely shredded it releases a lot of moisture. I set it in a strainer to get rid of the excess liquid and lightly press it if necessary. You don’t want to squeeze all the moisture out though. If you shred the zucchini on the larger holes of a box grater, there’s no need to drain it.
Optional: Chocolate Chips – for extra chocolate flavor.
How to make Easy Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Whisk together the dry ingredients
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, mix together the butter, oil, and sugar until combined. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing for 20 seconds after each addition.
- Mix in the buttermilk and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
- On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until combined.
- Stir in the grated zucchini with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
- Cool cake, then frost with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
How to make Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and softened butter until smooth.
- Add the vanilla, cocoa, confectioners’ sugar, and pinch of salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Chips
For an extra chocolatey cake, add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter.
Chocolate Orange Zucchini Cake Recipe
For a delicious flavor variation, add 1 tablespoon of finely grated orange zest to the cake batter.
How to store Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Store cake in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can Chocolate Zucchini Cake be frozen?
Whole frosted cake or individually wrapped slices can be frozen for up to 2 months. Wrap well with plastic wrap then put inside a freezer bag.
Thaw whole cake in refrigerator overnight, then on the counter until room temperature, if desired.
Individual slices can be thawed on the counter.
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Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 15 1x
Description
Chocolate Zucchini Cake - an incredibly moist chocolate cake topped with a cloud of chocolate cream cheese frosting. No one will ever guess the secret ingredient is green!
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Zucchini Cake:
- 2 cups (283g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (75g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ½ cup (112g) vegetable oil
- 1 ¾ cups (347g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (113g) buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 ½ cups (330g) finely shredded zucchini
For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, at a cool room temperature
- 8 oz (226g) cream cheese, at a cool room temperature
- 3 cups (375g) powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons (36g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
For the Chocolate Zucchini Cake:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, mix together the butter, oil, and sugar until combined, about 1 minute.
- Add the eggs, one at time, beating for 20 seconds after each addition.
- Mix in the buttermilk and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
- On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until combined.
- Stir in the grated zucchini with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake on the middle rack until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
- Cool completely before frosting.
For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla, cocoa, confectioners’ sugar, and pinch of salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Spread on cooled cake.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 505
Keywords: cake, chocolate, chocolate zucchini cake, cream cheese frosting, dessert
Enjoy, friends!
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wow that chocolate cream cheese frosting looks so GOOD! This cake proofs it again that chocolate and zucchini are a super team.
Zucchini is such a magical ingredient! I love the moisture it adds to baked goods! Thanks so much, Angie!
Wow, this cake is amazing! Love how finely the zucchini is shredded to sort of melt right in. What I really want though is a giant spoon and that bowl of frosting! 🙂 ~Valentina
★★★★★
I knowwww! The frosting is so dreamy! Thanks so much, Valentina!
This cake looks amazing! I’m pretty excited that I have all of the ingredients to make this one.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Sreeraj!
I cannot decide whether I am drawn more ot the cake or the icing, Kelly! I suppose there is no need to decide, right? The only zucchini I have never used in a sweet was in my mother's zucchini bread/cake and I loved it. Love this, too. 🙂
I love them both, David! The cake is surprisingly moist and tender and the frosting is a dream! Thanks so much!
Your chocolate cake is swoon-worthy!! It looks like my zucchini plants are slowing down but I do have a bit of a surplus. I would love to make them into this cake! Such a delicious cake!!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Katherine!
Mmmm, this looks great. Fantastic texture in the cake. And the icing looks incredibly luscious. Dibs on licking the bowl! 🙂
I'm always careful to not scrape the frosting bowl out too cleanly! Thanks so much, John!
I also love baking with zucchini! And this chocolate zucchini cake looks so moist and chocolatey, not sure I can resist, especially with Chcocolate cream cheese frosting! Love this recipe!
★★★★★
It gives incredible moisture! Thanks so much, Laura!
If my mom haven't done something similar to this when I was young then I would be surprised with the use of zucchini. She makes this wonderful zucchini bread that I really love, that veg give a nice moisture to the dish, I bet this chocolate cake would be the same
★★★★★
The zucchini makes it so moist! Thanks so much, Raymund!
I have made a courgette cake before, but never one with chocolate! This looks great and I love how thick and smooth the chocolate icing is.
It's dreamy! Thanks so much, Caroline!
This cake sounds absolutely delicious, Kelly! Like your kids, I suspect Robbie would raise an eyebrow or two if he could actually see green flakes in his cake. This version? I can assure you there wouldn't be anything left on the plate...his plate or my plate! 🙂 Pinning!
★★★★★
I once made it without shredding the zucchini finely enough. I got to eat the whole thing by myself! Thanks so much, David!
I think every one who commented is drawn not only to the delicious moist cake but that fluffy chocolate frosting 🙂 What a delightful combination!
The frosting is soooo dreamy! Thanks so much, Susan!
I love basically anything with zucchini in it. Kelly, the cake looks super moist and chocolatey. Frosting is definitely drool worthy
The zucchini makes it so moist! Thanks so much, Rahul!
Kelly, I'm betting you call your Chocolate Zucchini Cake just plain chocolate cake when the kids are around. Your cake looks lovely and the frosting is so inviting. I've made zuccini muffins and bread, but never a cake. I'm tucking this one away for when we can once agan entertain...
★★★★★
You bet, Ron! The looks on their faces when they hear it has a green veggie inside! Thanks so much!
the good thing with zucchini is that it has little flavour so just adds moisture and texture to the cake. Delish!
It's a magic ingredient! Thanks so much, Sherry!
Wow a zucchini cake! I've never tried this and now I'm super curious how it tastes. Will definitely try and find some time and zucchini to try this out!
The zucchini adds tons of moisture and no flavor. Thanks so much, Jenny!
This looks gorgeous, the frosting is so silkand smooth. I've some zucchini in my fridge I need to try like really soon 🙂
Thanks so much!
This is the best chocolate zucchini cake and the frosting is the best...I use goat cheese instead of cream cheese, plus I use a Irish butter too for the frosting. Comes out very smooth and not to sweet.
I'll have to try it with goat cheese. It sounds fabulous! Thanks so much!