This chocolate zucchini cake is a moist and fudgy recipe, sweet enough with no frosting, dusted with powdered sugar. A great use of zucchini!

cake with powdered sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Blank Form (#3)

WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox (and more recipes sent weekly!)

This super moist zucchini cake is guaranteed to become one of your go-to dessert recipes this summer and fall! It’s my mom’s recipe, made with coffee (or espress0) and a hint of cinnamon. We dust our cake with powdered sugar–no reason to add a thick, high-calorie frosting for this recipe! [This recipe has been on the blog since July 2016!]

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

Zucchini adds texture, and chocolate is always so satisfying! You never taste zucchini in this cake, and it makes a great dessert with your summer squash supply. Use either yellow or green zucchini!

chocolate cake with powdered sugar

This recipe is so easy to make and if you’re craving another rich zucchini cake, where zucchini meets banana, then try this cake with maple frosting. 

a bite of chocolate cake

Why I love this recipe

  • Uses leftover garden squash.
  • Not so sweet – without the thick frosting – but sweet enough.
  • I love to stir the cake batter by hand, because it’s nice and lumpy.
  • Serve alone (it’s great), or add a spoonful of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

a 9x13 Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Another thing I learned from mom? You can make this cake ahead, and store it for 3-4 days! My mom was always baking cakes, freezing them, and frosting them right before the guests would arrive.

ingredients for Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

Gather these ingredients:

  • Butter
  • Flour
  • Cocoa powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Oil (canola or vegetable)
  • Vanilla
  • Brewed, cooled espresso or strong coffee
  • Grated zucchini
  • Semisweet chocolate chips
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

ingredients to make a zucchini cake

How do you make Chocolate Zucchini Cake?

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Generously grease the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan with butter or a 9×13 pan, then coat with a generous amount of flour. Shake out any excess flour in the pan.
  3. Whisk together flour, the cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.
  4. Combine butter and the granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low, then medium speed, until well incorporated and creamy. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, then the oil and vanilla extract; beat on medium speed until well blended and smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the following ingredients, beating until well incorporated after each addition: 1 cup of the flour mixture, then 1/4 cup of the espresso or strong coffee; 1 cup of the flour mixture, then 1/4 cup of the espresso or strong coffee; then the remaining flour mixture.
  6. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  7. Cool; dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, and serve warm! 

zucchini cake batter

Tips and substitutions:

Who would ever guess that there is zucchini in this chocolate cake? You’ll never taste it, and there are a couple of tips to making this recipe.

  • One cup of shredded zucchini is about one medium zucchini.
  • No need to peel the zucchini before using. It’s okay to leave the skin on.
  • Grate the zucchini in smaller pieces. The cake has a better texture.
  • What does zucchini replace in baking? Zucchini acts as a wet ingredient in baking. It doesn’t replace a fat like oil or butter or eggs, but it does add moisture and volume. You could potentially replace it with sour cream, but it would change the texture of the cake.
  • You can make this recipe in a bundt pan, but you will need to bake the cake longer. See baking times in the full recipe.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

How do you serve and store this cake?

After cooling the cake, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Or, you can serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

This cake will store in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you’ll be eating this within 2 days, it should be fine on the counter.

moist zucchini cake

Mom’s garden was full of zucchini, so when I found this recipe in the pile that she left behind, I knew I needed to bake a cake for Mom today!

Making the most of our days is rewarding and enjoyable. How we choose to spend our time may not be the same for one person, as it is for another. I personally love to host people in our home. Others may prefer to meet for a meal out, or simply dessert and coffee.

I think my mom would approve of both, and of this cake for dessert today!

Enjoy!

square piece of cake and ice cream

More zucchini recipes to try:

Blueberry Zucchini Cake

Shredded Zucchini Almond Flour Pancakes

Zucchini Banana Cake

cake with powdered sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream
5 stars (5 reviews)
Leave a Review

Get the Recipe:

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

This chocolate zucchini cake is a moist and fudgy recipe, sweet enough with no frosting, dusted with powdered sugar. A great use of zucchini!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 12
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan (1 stick)
  • 2 ¼ cups flour, plus more for the pan
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup brewed cooled espresso or strong coffee
  • 2 cups grated zucchini, from 2 medium zucchini, okay to wash and leave the skin on
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan with butter or a 9×13 pan, then coat with a generous amount of flour. Shake out any excess flour in the pan.
  • Whisk together 2 ¼ cups flour, the cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.
  • Combine the ½ cup of butter and the granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low, then medium speed, until well incorporated and creamy. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, then the oil and vanilla extract; beat on medium speed until well blended and smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the following ingredients, beating until well incorporated after each addition: 1 cup of the flour mixture, then ¼ cup of the espresso or strong coffee; 1 cup of the flour mixture, then ¼ cup of the espresso or strong coffee; then the remaining flour mixture.
  • Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes (bundt cake), or 35-40 minutes (9×13 pan), or until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  • Cool in the pan for 15 minutes; dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, and serve warm! (Or, with whipped cream or ice cream.)

Notes

Originally posted July 2016 from my mom's recipe.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Calories: 443kcal, Carbohydrates: 54g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 49mg, Sodium: 206mg, Potassium: 244mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 325IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @reluctantentertainer on Instagram and hashtag it #reluctantentertainer!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe