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This moist and fudgy chocolate zucchini cake is an easy yet elegant dessert made in one bowl! Packed with shredded zucchini, no one will know that it’s secretly healthy!
A healthy dessert with vegetables in it?
It’s time to make a zucchini chocolate cake.
After rave reviews from both my zucchini brownies and zucchini bread, I had to try it for another dessert.
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this chocolate zucchini cake recipe
- Ingredients needed
- How to make a chocolate zucchini cake
- Dietary swaps and substitutions
- Tips to make the best recipe
- Storage instructions
- Recommended tools to make this recipe
- More chocolate cake recipes to try
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake (Recipe Card)
Why you’ll love this chocolate zucchini cake recipe
- Hidden nutrients! Adding zucchini to a chocolate cake is a sneaky way to hide some greens. You won’t be able to taste it, and it adds extra moisture to the cake (and fiber, too!).
- Perfect texture. The texture is super moist, with a tender crumb.
- No eggs, butter, or oil. This uses pantry staples that are actually quite healthy!
Looking for more zucchini recipes in desserts? Try zucchini muffins, cookies, or bars.
Ingredients needed
This recipe calls for simple pantry staples and because it is eggless, you really won’t even need to make a trip to the stores for anything. Here is what you’ll need:
- Milk and vinegar. Mixed and set for 5 minutes to create a mock buttermilk. I used unsweetened almond milk but any milk works.
- Oat flour. A wheat-free alternative to traditional white or wheat flour. Skip the store-bought and packaged options and make your own.
- Cocoa powder. 100% unsweetened cocoa powder. For a richer flavor, you can use dark cocoa powder.
- Arrowroot powder. Holds the cake together and helps achieve a moist crumb.
- Baking powder and soda. Both leavening agents are used to give the cake structure and stability.
- Unsweetened applesauce. Helps keep the cake moist while adding minimal calories and fat.
- Coconut sugar OR light brown sugar. Either sugar works.
- Zucchini. Finely shredded, with most of the moisture removed.
- Salt. A pinch of salt to balance out the sweet ingredients.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any good cake recipe.
- Chocolate frosting. Not optional! I used my famous two-ingredient frosting but any frosting works.
How to make a chocolate zucchini cake
This chocolate cake with zucchini is easy to make: the only thing you need to remember is to let the milk and vinegar sit for 5 minutes for it to curdle and create buttermilk. You can either make this as a two-layer cake (using two 8-inch cake pans) or a three-layer cake (using three 6-inch cake pans).
Step 1- Prep the base
Line and grease two 8-inch cake pans and mix the milk and vinegar to curdle.
Step 2- Make the cake batter
Whisk together your dry ingredients until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, applesauce, and sugar. Combine the two until just combined.
Step 3- bake the cake
Pour the batter amongst the two cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
Step 4- frost the cake
Let the cakes cool completely before frosting, slicing, and serving.
Dietary swaps and substitutions
This cake is forgiving and can easily be adapted for other diets out there. There are also some substitution ideas if you don’t have a certain ingredient on hand:
- For a richer cake, swap out half the applesauce with olive oil, butter, or vegetable oil.
- Swap out the oat flour for either all-purpose flour or wholewheat flour.
- For a keto chocolate zucchini cake, replace the oat flour with almond flour, use allulose as the sweetener, and swap out the applesauce for full-fat yogurt.
- Swap out the applesauce for either plain yogurt or sour cream.
- To cut out the gluten, use gluten free oat flour.
Tips to make the best recipe
- Do not over-bake the cake, as it will continue to bake as it is cooling down. Unlike my easy chocolate cake, you’ll need to be super careful, as oat flour can dry out goods easily.
- Squeeze out some of the moisture from the zucchini but not all of it. Some of the moisture helps keep the cake moist and soft. I like to let them sit on some paper towels.
- Brown sugar or coconut sugar is necessary to balance out the other ingredients. If you want to use a sugar free substitute, you’ll need to add a fat to it.
- Intensify the chocolate flavor by adding some chocolate chips throughout.
- For something different, top the cake with a cream cheese frosting.
Storage instructions
- To store: Store at room temperature, covered, for up to three days. If you’d like the cake to keep longer, Place slices of the cake in a sealable container and store it in the fridge.
- To freeze: Place the baked, cooled, and frosted cake in an airtight container and store it in the freezer.
Recommended tools to make this recipe
- Large bowl. To mix everything together seamlessly.
- 9-inch cake pan. To bake the cakes.
- Bundt pan. For something different, bake this cake in this pan instead.
- Food processor or box grater. to shred the zucchini.
More chocolate cake recipes to try
- Keto chocolate cake
- Almond flour chocolate cake
- Flourless chocolate cake
- Death by chocolate cake
- Healthy chocolate cake
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you won’t be able to taste any zucchini in this cake as it is a neutral flavored vegetable and the other ingredients help mask any notes of it.
This cake has no eggs or dairy in it, so is suitable for those following a vegan diet.
There is no need to peel the zucchini before grating or shredding it.
Trim the zucchini then use a box grater or food processor to shred it. Once shredded, squeeze out excess moisture or place it on a paper towel to soak it up.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups milk any milk works
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 3 cups oat flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup zucchini shredded
- 1 cup chocolate frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and set aside.
- Add the milk and vinegar in a bowl and whisk together. Let it sit to curdle.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oat flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot powder, baking powder, and baking soda and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk mix, brown sugar, and applesauce. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until combined. Fold through the zucchini.
- Distribute the batter amongst the two cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer come out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool completely. Once cool, frost them, layer them then slice and serve.
So sick of all the pre-made excuses for keto desserts and mixes on Amazon and tried this. I am honestly blown away. And the icing is so chocolatey, rich, and thick. Made as a birthday cake and no one knew it was “healthy.” Thank you!
😀 LOVE IT! So glad you enjoyed it!
The zucchini is raw and the potato boiled right? 🙂
Hi! That is correct 🙂
Thinking about baking the Keto version. Can this be doubled and baked in a 13 by 9 Pan?
I don’t see why not 🙂
The paleo version is only showing 1/4c coconut flour in my browser? That doesn’t seem right? Is it 2 1/4c?
That is correct, coconut flour is like a sponge 🙂
Made the cake tonight. It is rather thin? I think the cake is only about 1/2 in in thickness. Is that normal or did I do something wrong? Perhaps I didn’t blend the I grediebts long enough?
Hi there! Sometimes the loaf pan can make a difference! 🙂
@armanthebigmansworld where have you been all my life ?
😀
Can another type of oil be used, such as canola?
I haven’t tried- Feel free to experiment and see!
Hi Arman,
I love your recipes! Do you prefer to cook this cake in a parchment lined baking pan, or a greased pan. The recipe mentions both.
Hi! I prefer it in a parchment lined pan for easy removal 🙂
How many servings?
16 servings!
Thank you!
Just made the keto version– it’s perfect! What a nice, light, bouncy texture too! Thank you!
🙂 love it!!!
Perhaps I just missed it, but how large a piece is considered one serving? This sounds perfect.
Hi! Once you make the cake, divide it by the servings.
Just tested this recipe (using the keto version) this past weekend. I doubled it for my rectangular cake pan (pyrex). Followed instructions precisely and it turned out perfect. One of the best sweets I’ve tried on keto; there aren’t many that I enjoy because of that slightly minty flavor from the erythritol. The cake flavor even improved slightly on the second day, and that “minty” taste was not as evident as in other keto sweets. I used a basic butter cream frosting with Hershey’s dark and Lakanto powdered sweetner. Really a nice cake. Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback, Deb x 🙂
Hands down the best chocolate cake I have made. I made the keto version. Love your work.
That is so sweet of you, thank you!
Hi, I want to try use Steva liquid for the Vegan recipe. Was thinking of using 1 teaspoon of stevia and adding another 1/4 cup of zucchini for the substance that will be missing. Any thoughts on this?
Haven’t tried that so you’ll need to experiment and see 🙂
My cake is barely an inch tall!! How did that happen? I’m certain all my measurements were accurate. . Also my coconut oil did not incorporate into the cake. on the bottom of the cake is a soggy layer of coconut oil. This has happened to me in anothrr recipe as well, any idea what is happening?
Hi that can happen with using different brands of coconut oil, it can separate. Perhaps try a different brand? I love Nutiva.
You can also use a smaller pan or loaf pan.