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This rich and fudgy chocolate zucchini cake is full of hidden zucchini (that you can’t taste) and iced with a silky avocado frosting. Eating your greens has never been tastier!
The secret to a decadent, fudgy chocolate cake that doesn’t lose any moisture? Shredded zucchini! You’d never know there were secret veggies in this chocolate zucchini cake. Plus, it’s also gluten-free and vegan, so it’s the perfect cake for everyone to enjoy. It’s all topped off with a silky chocolate frosting made with avocado, making for a healthier sweet treat to enjoy whenever a chocolate craving hits.
Table of Contents
Watch how to make it
Ingredients
For The Cake:
- Zucchini: Green, young, smaller zucchini are best. Summer squash also works.
- Gluten-Free Flour: Use standard gluten-free flour (like Bob’s Red Mill, Better Batter, or King Arthur’s) or ordinary all-purpose.
- Brown Sugar: For caramel-like flavor.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Brewed Coffee: This will intensify the chocolate flavor.
- Oat Milk: Use store-bought or homemade (generally, any plant-based milk will work)
- Coconut Oil
- Flax Seeds: Ground flaxseed and water mixture helps with binding.
- Vanilla Extract: Use store-bought or homemade.
- Apple Cider Vinegar(ACV): This will help provide lift.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda
- Xanthan Gum: This is only required if you use gluten-free flour.
- Salt: Just a pinch will enhance the chocolate flavor.
For The Frosting:
- Avocados: Use ripe to slightly over-ripe (but not too overripe) avocados
- Almond Milk: Use store-bought or make your own.
- Cocoa Powder
- Maple Syrup: Or another liquid sweetener.
- Coconut Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
How to make chocolate zucchini cake
Prepare The Ingredients: Combine the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken for a few minutes. Then, in a separate bowl, combine the oat milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside.
Grate the zucchini by hand or in a food processor—you don’t need to peel them first. In another bowl, melt the coconut oil and combine with the cocoa powder until a smooth, chocolate liquid forms.
Mix The Batter and Bake: First, preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Grease and line two 8-inch round baking tins (I prefer spring-form pans for easy removal) with baking paper or spray with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt. Whisk the flour mixture gently to ensure the ingredients are fully combined. Then add the flaxseed mix, apple cider vinegar mix, brewed coffee, chocolate mix, and zucchini (don’t remove the excess liquid). Stir until well incorporated.
Divide the chocolate zucchini cake batter between the prepared pans, then bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean-ish. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Then, carefully slice each cake in half to make four even layers.
Make The Frosting and Assemble: Add all of the frosting ingredients except the milk to a food processor and blend. Add the milk slowly, a few drops at a time, until the frosting becomes smooth and silky.
Stack each layer of chocolate zucchini cake, spreading a generous layer of the frosting in between each. Make sure the cakes are completely cool before doing this, or the frosting will run off.
Cover the top with more icing, or simply dust with cocoa powder and enjoy!
More cake recipes
If you try this chocolate zucchini cake recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Equipment
- 2 Baking dish 8-inch round each (spring-form pans are ideal)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2.5 cups gluten-free flour like Bob's Red Mill, King Arthur's, or Better Batter; OR regular all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Xanthan gum only needed if you're using gluten-free flour
- 1.5 cups brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 cups oat milk or any other milk: dairy or dairy-free
- 1 cup zucchini shredded
- 3/4 cup coconut oil melted; or vegetable oil
- 2 vegan flaxseed eggs 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed in 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee OR increase the zucchini to 2 cups and use 1 teaspoon of espresso powder
- 2 Tbs[ apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1.5 avocados
- 1/2 cup almond milk optional – if needed to thin the frosting; can also use any dairy or dairy-free milk
- 1/4 cup coconut oil or butter/vegan butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or another liquid sweetener: agave syrup, etc.
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
Prepare The Ingredients
- In a bowl, combine the flax seed and water and allow to thicken. In a separate bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar and oat milk. Set both aside.
- Grate the zucchini and transfer it to a bowl. Keep the excess water that comes out—it will help keep the cake moist.
- Melt the coconut oil, then mix with the cocoa powder until a thin liquid forms.
Make The Batter and Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC and grease two 8-inch baking pans.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the apple cider mix, flaxseed mix and chocolate, then add the zucchini. Stir until combined.
- Divide the cake mix between the two pans and bake at 350ºF/180ºC for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Then, carefully slice each cake in half to make four even layers.
Make The Frosting and Assemble
- Add all the frosting ingredients except the milk to a food processor and blend until combined. Add the milk a little at a time until you get a silky chocolate frosting. Adjust to taste.
- Once the cakes have completely cooled, cut them in half to make four layers. Sandwich the layers with a thick spread of the frosting. Dust with cocoa powder and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just delicous. Thank you for this recipe. 🙂
HELLO Samira , Can we use white sugar in this recipe?
Hi Asma,
Yes, you could use white sugar to make the chocolate cake.
Hi , Not getting the gluten free ready mix flour , so Let me know the exact praportions of these flours (brown rice, potato, almond, tapioca and corn) for homemade mix.
Hi,
Here are the ratios I used: 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour, 1/2 cup potato flour, 1/4 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup tapioca flour and 1/4 cup corn flour. Hope this helps! 🙂
Highly recommended. I made the vegan gluten free brownie chocolate cake. It is amazing. I used egg and plain flour. It tastes much like red velvet cake (with much less hussle and no food coloring). Love the texture. So light and moist. Can’t get enough of it. It was gone in a day. Thank you
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it :-). Thank you so much for letting me know and for the feedback 🙂 x