This Chocolate Zucchini Cake with chocolate chips is moist, rich, and slightly fudgy, studded with semi-sweet chocolate chips for extra delight. Finish it with a silky, decadent chocolate frosting and you’ll have a dessert guests keep coming back for.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love the Recipe
- Ingredients Needed
- Helpful Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- You May Also Like These Other Chocolate Desserts!
- Easy Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe
Why You’ll Love the Recipe
- Intensely chocolatey flavor
- Ridiculously moist and slightly fudgy texture
- Perfect with a rich chocolate frosting
- Baked as three 6-inch layers for an impressive presentation
- Tall and dramatic when stacked with thick frosting
- A true treat for chocolate lovers
This isn’t a health food, but it’s one of the best chocolate cakes you can make—comforting, indulgent, and memorable.
Ingredients Needed
Below are the ingredients used to make this easy Chocolate Zucchini Cake.
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Unsalted butter
- Vegetable shortening
- Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- Vanilla extract
- Sour milk (see notes)
- Shredded zucchini
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Helpful Tips
Small tips to help you get great results with this cake:
- Use cake strips around pans to help the layers bake level; they’re inexpensive and useful.
- I use three 6-inch x 2-inch pans; 6-inch x 3-inch pans also work if that’s what you have.
- To keep cake layers moist, you can cool them upside down in their pans on a rack for a short time.
- If you won’t frost the cake right away, wrap cooled layers tightly in plastic and refrigerate, or double-wrap and freeze for up to a month.
- Leftover slices freeze well when double-wrapped—thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.
Recipe FAQs
A clean craft brush, edible gold powder, and a small amount of vodka. Dip the brush into vodka, then gold powder, and paint the swirl in light layers until you reach the desired coverage.
Stir 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice into 1/2 cup milk and let it sit for a minute or two before using.
This frosting makes enough to generously fill and frost a three-layer, 6-inch cake. You can halve the frosting if you prefer a thinner layer, or keep extras for cupcakes or another dessert.
No—the zucchini only adds moisture and texture; its flavor is not noticeable.
Do not drain it. The liquid helps keep the cake tender and moist.
You May Also Like These Other Chocolate Desserts!
Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes
Chocolate Cake with Oreo Buttercream Frosting
Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
One Bowl Chocolate Zucchini Bread
If you tried this Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipe or any other recipe on the site, please leave a star rating and share your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for visiting!
Easy Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Equipment
- 3 — 6-inch round cake pans (2″ or 3″ deep)
Ingredients
Chocolate zucchini cake
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour milk (see notes)
- 2 cups shredded zucchini (do NOT drain)
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate frosting
- 1 1/4 lbs unsalted butter (about 5 sticks), room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lb dark chocolate, melted and cooled
Instructions
Chocolate zucchini cake
- Preheat oven to 325ºF and position the rack in the second level.
- Prepare three 6-inch cake pans: spray with a flour-based baking spray or grease and flour the pans, then place parchment circles in each bottom and lightly respray.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside.
- Cream the butter, shortening, oil, and granulated sugar on medium-high until well blended.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and sour milk and mix to combine.
- On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the shredded zucchini (do not drain) and then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared pans and bake 45–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.
Chocolate frosting
- Beat the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt on medium speed until well blended, scraping the bowl as needed. A food processor also works well for this step.
- Add corn syrup, vanilla, and melted cooled chocolate. Mix until smooth and well combined.
- Frost the completely cooled cake layers and assemble.
Notes
- 1 1/2 pounds of butter ≈ 5 sticks (574 g).
- To make sour milk: add 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice to 1/2 cup milk, stir, and let sit for a minute before using.
- The cake recipe is adapted from the 2001 “A Taste of Bedminster Elementary” Cookbook; the frosting is adapted from a tested source.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 120 g |
Protein: 10 g |
Fat: 80 g
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary based on specific ingredients used.
