Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Chips is a great dessert recipe to use up all your zucchini! This Chocolate Zucchini Cake is dense, tender and loaded with chocolate chips. No worries. You won’t even know it has zucchini in it, it just adds moisture! Even with sneaky vegetables it’s amazingly rich and decadent.

Every summer I prepare for all of the zucchini we’ll get from friends and neighbors. If you garden, then you know that it grows like crazy and we often open our front door to see a bag of zucchini left by someone who had too much to use themselves. It’s all right by me because I love fresh zucchini and one of my favorite ways to use it is in this chocolate zucchini cake!

Oh, sure, we love to grill it and roast it for savory recipes but, seriously, I love to use zucchini in cakes and quick bread. It adds so much moisture and you can’t even taste it. My kids gobble this cake up and they don’t even know there’s zucchini in it!

All they know is that it’s rich and chocolatey with lots of chocolate chips. Plus, it’s topped with semi-sweet chocolate chops that melt over on top of the cake as it bakes, so you don’t need any frosting – it’s so rich all on its own!

Why You’ll Love Chocolate Zucchini Cake

• This tasty chocolate cake freezes great! Make a few extra cakes and then pop them in the freezer for up to three months.
• With both cocoa powder and chocolate chips everyone will love this tasty cake with rich chocolate flavor. It’s just so yummy!
• Chocolate zucchini cake is an easy recipe that anyone can make. The baking process is simple and the recipe is really easy to follow.

Ingredients for Chocolate Zucchini Cake

• Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. Both will work great.
• Canola oil – Feel free to swap canola oil and use something like vegetable oil, olive oil, or avocado oil.
• White sugar – Sweeten this chocolate chip zucchini cake with some white sugar.
• Eggs – For best results, allow the eggs to come to room temperature before mixing them into the cake batter.
• Buttermilk – This is my secret ingredient for the most incredible chocolate zucchini cake ever. However, if you don’t make buttermilk you can use regular milk.
• Vanilla extract – Elevate the flavor of this sweet treat with a little splash of vanilla.
• Flour – A simple all purpose flour is all you need. Feel free to experiment with a gluten-free flour too.
• Cocoa powder – For an extra rich chocolate flavor, use dutch process cocoa. Otherwise, regular cocoa powder will work.
• Baking powder – This will be the rising agent that will help make your cake extra fluffy and delicious.
• Salt – Use a pinch of salt to help balance the sweet and chocolatey flavors in this cake.
• Zucchini – Shred up some fresh zucchini to make this moist and flavorful cake.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – While I prefer to use semi sweet chocolate chips in this cake, you can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate if you prefer.

How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and then spray a 9×13 inch cake pan, or two 8×8 inch pans, with non stick cooking spray. Set that to the side.

Cream together the butter, eggs, oil, and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Then add the buttermilk and vanilla and mix again until combined.

Sift the dry ingredients together into another bowl, then add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture until just combined. Gently stir in the shredded zucchini.

Spread the cake batter into the previously prepared pan and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.

Bake for 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes in a 9×13 inch pan. If using 8×8 inch pans, bake for 35 minutes.

How to Store chocolate Zucchini Cake

For short term storage, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. Store at room temperature in a cool, dry place for 2-3 days.

To extend the life of the cake, store it in the refrigerator fro up to a week.

How to Freeze Easy Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Make sure the cake is completely cooled. If you freeze it when it’s still warm it will release moisture as it cools and make it soggy.

Once cooled, I recommend wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and then foil after that. I even go the extra mile and place it in a resealable gallon bag if I make the 8” x 8” size cake. Another layer of protection never hurts to prevent freezer burn.

Make sure you label it so you know what it is after you put it in the freezer! Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw before consuming.

Why is zucchini used in baking?

Baking with zucchini adds so much moisture. Depending on what you’re making you can’t taste it at all. Zucchini is mostly water so when it bakes in the cake it releases all of its moisture and practically disappears therefore you don’t need as much oil in recipes with zucchini.

Can I substitute cucumber for zucchini in baking?

Depending on the recipe, sometimes this works. But there tends to be too much excess moisture in cucumbers, which could make your chocolate zucchini cake recipe too moist and soggy and effect the texture.

Do I need to peel zucchini for zucchini cake?

You don’t have to peel the zucchini for zucchini chocolate cake. Just grate it and you’re done! You can use a box grater or you can use the grating attachment on your food processor to grate the zucchini.

This amazing chocolate zucchini cake is sure to knock your socks off! I hope you enjoy.

More Delicious Zucchini Recipes

• This Hamburger and Zucchini Skillet is a fabulous quick meal that is loaded with flavor.
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are like the portable chocolate zucchini bread you didn’t know you needed!
• Talk about a tasty quick bread. This Banana Zucchini Bread is to die for!
• Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Bundt Cake is quite possibly one of my most favorite zucchini cake recipes!