Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake! We’re using whole grain flour and a mix of applesauce with avocado oil to lighten this cake up but still keep it super moist! Add some chocolate chips and a 2-ingredient chocolate ganache to take this cake over the top.
This cake was oiginally posted in 2018. Recipe and post updated for a more straight-forward recipe and instructions.
Zucchini season never tasted so good!
I always praise the baking gods for putting zucchini in cake. And not just cake, but CHOCOLATE cake.
When you or your neighbors have an abundance of zucchini in their gardens (or the grocery store has a great sale) baking all the things with zucchini is a must.
And if you have chocolate lovers in your life and need to put your zucchini to good use, then this Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake is for you.
Why You’ll Love It
- Moist, rich, but without overdoing it on the sugar.
- Uses whole wheat white flour for a whole grain cake recipe
- Dairy free friendly using your choice of non-dairy milk and chocolate chips
- Triple the chocolate = a chocolate lover’s dream
Baking Ingredients
- whole wheat white flour – Using a whole wheat white flour gives this cake a lighter texture than if you’d use traditional whole wheat flour, but without the super dense texture.
- unsweetened cocoa powder – Make sure it’s unsweetened cocoa powder, not dutch process for this recipe.
- baking soda, baking powder and salt – For the cake to rise and salt enhances flavor.
- espresso powder – optional but boosts the chocolate flavor.
- large eggs – for structure and lift.
- avocado oil l & unsweetened applesauce – a mix of oil and applesauce keeps this cake lighter but still plenty moist. Feel free to use another neutral oil such as light olive oil.
- non-dairy milk – to help thin the batter. You can use almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk, or something similar. Just stay away from pea protein or other milk with added protein.
- vanilla extract – enhances flavor.
- granulated sugar – to help sweeten the cake.
- zucchini – Make sure to use the fine side of a box grater for finely shredded zucchini. We’re using over 2 cups of zucchini and water should be squeezed out before measuring.
- chocolate chips – lots of chocolate chips throughout the batter and also used to create the chocolate ganache topping, making this a triple chocolate zucchini cake.
Recommended Tools
- bundt pan
- glass mixing bowls
- grater or box grater
- hand mixer, stand mixer or metal whisk.
- measuring cups
- spatula
How to Shred Zucchini for Cake
When baking with zucchini, I find it’s best to use the fine side of a box grater to get nice fine shreds that bake into the cake well.
Then to accurately measure zucchini, the best way to do this is to place the shredded zucchini into a fine mesh bag (like this) or cheese cloth and squeeze all of the water out, THEN place your shredded zucchini into the measuring cup.
Most recipes will call for squeezing the excess water out, which helps keep extra water out of the batter.
How To Make a Chocolate Zucchini Cake
We’re breaking this cake down into 4 main steps:
1. Dry Ingredients
Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl; flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder and salt. Set those aside while you work on the wet ingredients.
2. Wet Ingredients
Now in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, applesauce, oil, milk and vanilla. Then add in the sugar and whisk well until smooth.
3. Combine
Slowly add the dry flour mixture into the wet mixture until almost combined (some pockets of flour can remain) and then fold in the zucchini and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
4. Bake
Bake the cake for about 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven. Check cake after 35 minutes and then use the toothpick method to check for wet batter.
The Chocolate Ganache
While the cake cools you can make the chocolate ganache. For this recipe we’re melting dark chocolate chips and some creamer together, or feel free to use coconut milk.
To melt the chocolate on the stovetop, use a small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring frequently until fully melted and smooth. You can also use a microwave and melt the cream and chocolate chips together in a medium bowl on half power in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until fully smooth.
Place a plate or baking sheet under the wire rack (to catch the drippings) and pour the melted chocolate over cake, spreading as necessary.
Baking Tips
- Watch your bake time: chocolate cakes are sometimes hard to tell whether they’re done or not, so definitely do the toothpick test in multiple areas. The cake should be ready when the toothpick comes out clean.
- Baking with bundt pans: If using a bundt pan, grease very well! You want to make sure your cake comes out all pretty on top, which is the bottom of the pan. Once the cake has fully baked, gently tap the pan on the counter, then cover with a wire rack and flip over.
- Shredded zucchini: Use the fine side of a box grater for grated zucchini, or use a something like this style grater.
More Zucchini Recipes to Try
- Almond Butter Zucchini Brownies
- Breakfast Zucchini Cookies
- Healthy Zucchini Bread Muffins
- Easy Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Baked Oatmeal
If you make this Chocolate Zucchini Cake, please leave a comment and star rating below! It helps others learn about the recipe and I appreciate your feedback! XX Ashley
PrintTriple Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake! Made with a mix of applesauce and coconut oil to keep this cake a little lighter but still super moist. Add some chocolate chips and a 2-ingredient chocolate ganache to take this cake over the top. Whole grain and dairy-free friendly.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
dry ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat white flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (or cacao)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional but boosts chocolate flavor)
wet ingredients
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 3/4 cup applesauce, room temperature
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1.33 cups granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini, water squeezed out (equal to about 2 medium)
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips
for the ganache frosting
- 1 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup non-dairy coffee creamer (or coconut milk)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease a bundt pan very well with coconut oil, set aside.
- Mix Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk together all dry ingredients, flour through cinnamon; set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl gently whisk together eggs, applesauce, melted coconut oil, milk and vanilla until combined. Add in sugars and whisk again until smooth.
- Combine: Using large silicone spatula, gently add dry ingredients into large bowl of wet ingredients until almost combined. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips until evenly dispersed. Batter should be fairly thick.
- Bake: Pour batter into greased bundt pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out with no wet batter. You can also move the rack and pan up a level to prevent the top of the cake from browning too much.
- Cool: Gently flip cake out of pan and transfer to cooling rack. (Gently bang pan on counter top, place rack over top of pan, and flip down).
- Make Ganache: While the cake cools, melt chocolate chips and cream together on medium low heat in a small saucepan, stirring frequently until fully melted and smooth. Place plate or baking sheet under rack, pour chocolate over cake and spread evenly.
- Set & Enjoy: Allow frosting to set for about 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Flour: May sub half whole wheat flour and half unbleached all-purpose flour.
Milk: Most milks will work.
Oil: You can use melted and cooled coconut oil, just be sure to make sure your eggs and the rest of your ingredients are room temperature.
Ganache: I used a vanilla almond milk creamer because that is what I had on hand. Feel free to use canned coconut milk, coconut milk creamer, or even regular half & half if not dairy-free. But I definitely suggest using cream with fat.
Storage: Cover leftovers or store cake in airtight container. Cake may also be stored in fridge, best used within 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 352
- Sugar: 40
- Sodium: 24
- Fat: 19
- Saturated Fat: 13
- Unsaturated Fat: 1
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 44
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 31
Keywords: chocolate bundt cake, zucchini cake, healthier chocolate cake
Devyani Upadhyaya says
Heyy…I tried making this recipe yesterday but I switched out the sugars for a maple syrup and agave combination. I wanted to ask if you are meant to squeeze out the water from the zucchini before mixing it in? The outside layer of my cake had a nice texture but the inside was quite mushy. Any suggestions to improve it?
Ashley says
Hi there, the zucchini shouldn’t have to be squeezed out here, but because you used a liquid sweetener instead of a dry granulated sweetener, that probably caused the cake batter to be too wet. Dry sweeteners and liquid sweeteners aren’t a 1:1 sub and changes the ratio of the other ingredients needed. Even if you squeezed out the zucchini and still used a combination of agave and maple syrup, I think other changes would need to be made to the ratio of dry-wet ingredients.
Michelle says
So good! A hit with the family.
★★★★★
Ashley says
Yay! <3 Thanks, Michelle!
Jody Styer says
This recipe was AMAZING!!! A chocolate LOVERS DREAM!!!! Easy to follow recipe, EXCELLENT Dark Chocolate Flavor! and it was a WOW with EVERYONE who ate it!!! We were sad there weren’t more slices in this cake!!! I followed it but used Signature Dark Chocolate Chips from Nestle 61% dark chips and It was FABULOUS!!!! Also used milk (Lactaid) recipe worked out fine! We did not use the cinnamon as it is not something we prefer. Thank you for such a WINNING recipe!!
★★★★★
Ashley says
So glad you and others enjoyed, Jody! Thank you so much for your 5 star review! 😀
Mindful Mama says
This is by far my favorite chocolate zucchini cake. I swapped out the 3/4 cup sugar for 1/4 cup organic unbleached sugar + 1/2 cup crystalized monkfruit (Lakanto). It came out perfect! My family of 4 ate the entire bundt cake in less than 24 hours.
★★★★★
Ashley says
So glad it was enjoyed! Thanks for sharing your subs!
Andrea says
Made this yesterday with my youngest, so moist and delicious! Both of my littles couldn’t believe there was zuchini in it! ?
And my husband said it was the best cake we’ve made! Win for veggies and treats!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Lol amazing! So glad it was enjoyed by all 🙂
Karin says
Can you use more applesauce instead of oil
Ashley says
You could probably sub a little more but I wouldn’t substitute all of the oil here. I would keep 1/3 cup of oil and then you could do a few more tablespoons applesauce. I haven’t tested this but it should turn out fairly similar.
Jody says
You sure can! I cut out all the oil and used 1 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce. It is beyond AMAZING!!! I also add 1 teaspoon of dry espresso powder. It enhances the chocolate experience and makes it more DIVINE!! The time for cooking is slightly longer – 55-65 minutes use a cake tester until it comes out clean. Good luck – This cake is AMAZING!!
Jody says
So, I tweeked the recipe causing it to become even healthier and absolutely a life changing eating experience!! I took out the oil and substituted 1 1/4 Cup unsweetened applesauce. No coconut oil at all. I also am able to cut between 17 -19 generous pieces. I also add 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder. This heightens the dark chocolate richness and delicious flavor. Who knew!! Complete success 🙌 – Bake time is usually 55-65 minutes until my tester comes out clean. When it has cooled I turn it out onto a flat cookie sheet. I make the ganache icing and spread it over the cake. I place the cake into the freezer after frozen, I remove and mark my cut marks into the icing. I use a sharp knife and slice. I plate and wrap and refreeze. Thank you so much for this super star cake! SUPERIOR 5 STARS!!
★★★★★
Toni says
Can you use unsweetened coconut milk for ganache? Does it or almond creamer need to be sweet?
Ashley says
As long as you’re using sweetened chocolate chips you are fine to use unsweetened coconut milk.