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How to make the best chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate frosting. This frosted chocolate zucchini cake is the most moist, rich chocolate cake with the most decadent chocolate frosting. You will not even realize you are eating zucchini!
It is summertime and zucchini is growing in gardens everywhere. I have a very small garden filled mostly with herbs and peppers but I dream of a garden full of plentiful zucchini. While I wait for my zucchini to grow, I head over to the grocery store and load up my cart with so much zucchini.
Moist chocolate cake with grated zucchini with a rich chocolate buttercream frosting. You can’t even taste the zucchini so this is definitely the best way to eat your vegetables!
Why you will love this Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Frosting:
- It is so moist! The zucchini brings so much moisture to the cake so it has the most tender texture. You won’t even believe there are 3 cups of grated zucchini in this cake!
- It is so rich and decadent. The triple chocolate combination — cocoa powder in the cake, chocolate chips baked inside the cake, and cocoa in the frosting makes this so perfect.
- The chocolate zucchini cake is a testament to the magic that can happen when you experiment in the kitchen. By combining the unlikely pair of chocolate and zucchini, you create a cake that’s moist, flavorful, and utterly irresistible.
Why do you use zucchini in a cake recipe?
The beauty of zucchini is that it can be disguised so well in recipes. You don’t even taste it! By grating the zucchini, it is so small and is basically incognito in this homemade chocoalte zucchini cake recipe.
Zucchini might not be the first ingredient that comes to mind when you think of cake, but it’s the secret behind the moistness that sets this cake apart.
Grating zucchini and incorporating it into the batter adds both moisture and a subtle flavor that perfectly complements the richness of chocolate. Don’t worry about the zucchini overpowering the chocolate – it blends in harmoniously, enhancing the cake’s texture without stealing the spotlight.
Since I already have a killer chocolate cake recipe and a chocolate zucchini bread recipe, I thought I would combine the two recipes and make the perfect chocolate zucchini cake recipe!
I added 3 cups of grated zucchini to this cake and I am telling you that you can’t even taste it at all! It is seriously a magical chocolate cake with hidden zucchini. The zucchini just makes the chocolate cake extra moist which is a win-win.
Frosted Chocolate Zucchini Cake Ingredients:
This zucchini cake is super simple, made with fresh ingredients. Everyone will love this cake and you will know the secret, magical ingredient — zucchini!
- Oil — you can use any type of oil in this cake recipe. After some experimentation with cakes, I found that oil creates the moistest cake texture.
- Sugar + Brown Sugar — helps to offset the rich, bitterness of the unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Eggs — use large eggs in this cake recipe.
- Vanilla Extract — I always suggest using pure vanilla extract or high-quality Mexican vanilla.
- Sour Cream — I suggest using full-fat sour cream. Sour cream is also a game changer in this chocolate zucchini cake as it adds the right amount of fat to keep it extra tender.
- Grated Zucchini — finely grate the zucchini. You can leave the peel on the zucchini or peel it off. Make sure to soak up extra moisture from the zucchini with paper towels before adding to the batter.
- Cocoa Powder — I suggest using a good-quality cocoa powder. My favorite is Callebaut cocoa powder. I find it in the bulk bins at Winco.
- Flour — I suggest using all-purpose flour. You may also use cake flour.
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder — important ingredients as this is what allows the cakes to rise in the oven.
- Salt — a pinch of salt helps to bring out the chocolate flavor.
- Chocolate Chips — I suggest using semi-sweet chocolate chips.
CHOCOLATE FROSTING INGREDIENTS:
- Butter
- Cocoa Powder
- Powdered Sugar
- Heavy Cream or Milk
Once you frost this zucchini cake with chocolate frosting, it becomes a show-stopping dessert.
How to make the Best Chocolate Zucchini Cake:
- Start by grating the zucchini. Once the zucchini is grated, I spread it out on paper towels to let them soak up some of the liquid from the zucchini.
- Mix together the oil, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until creamed together. I usually reach for canola oil in my cakes.
- Stir in the grated zucchini and sour cream. I prefer to use full-fat sour cream in my cake recipes.
- Add dry ingredients and mix only until combined. You want to avoid over-mixing as it will create too much gluten in the cake.
- Bake only until a toothpick comes out clean when placed in the center of the cake.
- Cool completely and then frost with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting.
Here are some popular chocolate recipes on Modern Honey:
5-Star Rated Love at First Sight Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
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Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Oil (such as canola)
- 1 cup Sugar
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 3 large Eggs
- 1-2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream (preferably full-fat)
- 3 cups Grated Zucchini
- 2/3 cup Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup Butter (softened)
- 2/3 cup Cocoa Powder
- 3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream or Milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start by grating the zucchini. Once the zucchini is grated, spread it out on paper towels to let them soak up some of the liquid from the zucchini.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until creamed together. Stir in the grated zucchini and sour cream.
- Add cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix only until combined. You want to avoid over-mixing as it will create too much gluten in the cake. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into a 9 x 13 pan (you may lightly spray it with non-stick cooking spray). Bake for 24-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when placed in the center of the cake.
- Cool completely and then frost with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and heavy cream until light and fluffy. May add more heavy cream depending on desired consistency. Spread over cooled cake.
Notes
- Oil — you can use any type of oil in this cake recipe. After some experimentation with cakes, I found that oil creates the moistest cake texture.
- Sour Cream — I suggest using full-fat sour cream. Sour cream is also a game changer in this chocolate zucchini cake as it adds the right amount of fat to keep it extra tender.
- Grated Zucchini — finely grate the zucchini. You can leave the peel on the zucchini or peel it off. Make sure to soak up extra moisture from the zucchini with paper towels before adding to the batter.
- Cocoa Powder — I suggest using a good-quality cocoa powder. My favorite is Callebaut cocoa powder. I find it in the bulk bins at Winco.
- Flour — I suggest using all-purpose flour. You may also use cake flour.
- Chocolate Chips — I suggest using semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was fabulous!!! Five stars. I did have to cook it longer than it said… 35 minutes..? However, I can foresee making this a LOT this summer while the zucchini is in season. Icing was awesome. Simply deathly good.
This recipe is amazing!!!!!!!
Just checking before I make this cake = is it 1-2 tspns. vanilla, or 1/2 tspn,? Thank you! Can’t wait to try!
This was so delightful!! Made it for a family BBQ and it was a huge it.
Superb! I am no baker, and it came out delish! Got rave reviews. So easy to make. Never imagined I’d make my own buttercream frosting. It tasted like a professional baked it! Although I had to bake it for about twice as long.
I am finding I have to bake this cake twice as long as well. First put it in for 25 minutes, recipe states 23-28 minutes. Then I put it in for another 15 minutes, still not done, Now going 5 minutes more and will continue adding 5 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Hopefully will not be overbaked.
I also had to bake my cake twice as long.
We’re chocolate cake snobs at our house and I made this despite much whining over the thought of putting a vegetable in chocolate cake. Our assessment: zucchini was totally absorbed and couldn’t really be tasted. However I thought the base recipe had too much baking soda, it was the first thing I smelled coming out of the oven and could be tasted in the cake. Also, while oil makes the cake very moist and rich, I did miss the flavor of butter that I am used to in my traditional chocolate cake recipe. It was still very good though, especially considering it incorporated zucchini.
Hi, is it 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda?
To be completely honest, I did not think the chocolate zucchini cake was going to be very good. I mean zucchini. . . in cake. I didn’t get my hopes up, but there are zucchinis all over my house because my mom got a great deal so now everything we make must contain zucchini. Anyways (sorry for blabbering on about zucchinis), I made them as cupcakes and used my favorite chocolate frosting and oh my god they are soo good. You can’t even taste the zucchini. They are moist and delicious and just yum (for lack of better words). Thank you for this recipe, I will definitely be using it again.
Thank you! Your chocolate zucchini cake is fantastic!
You have a great website. I can’t wait to make the chocolate zucchini cake. Do you need to peel the zucchini before grating?
Thank you in advance.
Thank you so much for following along! That is a great question. I don’t peel the zucchini before grating it. You are welcome to do that though. — Melissa