Do you have a garden overflowing with fresh zucchini this time of year? Put them to good use with this Chocolate Zucchini Cake! Covered with an irresistible chocolate glaze, this Bundt cake is dark and rich with the perfect amount of sweetness.
The best reason to grow zucchini is all the delicious baked goods you can make! Stock up your freezer with some Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread and Lemon Zucchini Cake this summer.
Why this Recipe is Best
This Zucchini Cake is a dark chocolate lover’s dream come true. Dark cocoa powder and espresso bring out a rich dimension of chocolate flavor that will make you swoon.
Need more reasons to LOVE this cake recipe?
- It’s a bundt cake which means you don’t have to fuss with frosting bags and precise decorating. Just pour the chocolate ganache on top and voila!
- Shredded zucchini keeps the cake extra moist. Zucchini cakes stay moist even days later, making them a great make ahead option.
- Chocolate morsels folded into the batter add an extra decadent touch.
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake is freezer friendly! You can make it on a weekend and stash it away for a future special occasion.
Ingredient Notes
Espresso powder. This doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee! A strong instant coffee or espresso powder helps enhance the natural flavors of the chocolate. I use THIS ONE on Amazon (you’ll see this in several of my recipes, including my tiramisu cupcakes and our chocolate pound cake).
Dark Cocoa Powder. Use a GOOD quality cocoa for best flavor. Hershey’s Special Dark or Ghirardelli are good choices.
Shredded zucchini. Freshly grated or frozen thawed shredded zucchini can both be used here. Use our guide on how to shred zucchini.
Easy Instructions
Combine cake ingredients:
Start by beating butter and sugar with baking soda, baking powder, oil and kosher salt. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.
Beat in flour, cocoa powder and espresso powder. Then, fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.
Bake:
Pour batter into a greased bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter and let the zucchini bundt cake cool completely.
Make the ganache:
Heat the heavy cream in a double boiler. Stir in the chocolate chips and whisk until melted and smooth.
Glaze and serve:
Pour slightly cooled glaze over the top of the bundt cake. Allow the chocolate glaze to set for about 15 minutes before serving.
Slice and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- How to shred zucchini: Use a box grater to shred zucchini into fine pieces. You can also use a food processor to grate it but be careful not to puree.
- Using frozen zucchini. You can make my Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipe with frozen zucchini too! Thaw the zucchini and squeeze out any excess water with a paper towel. Then add it to the cake batter as directed.
- Best way to pour ganache on a bundt cake. Place strips of parchment paper under the edges of your cake before adding the glaze. After pouring glaze over the cake, remove the parchment strips. Your cake platter will be neat and clean!
- Serve: Serve slightly warm with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or drizzle some heavy whipping cream on it for a decadent treat.
Recipe FAQs
Store this cake in a cake saver at room temperature. It will keep fresh for about 5 days.
Wrap unglazed Chocolate Zucchini Cake in plastic wrap, then place in a heavy freezer bag. When ready to eat, thaw on the counter and add glaze before serving.
This Zucchini Bundt Cake recipe was tested using a 12 cup Bundt pan.
You don’t have to peel the zucchini first, unless you prefer to! This is a dark cake so the green pieces won’t be easily visible.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- Cinnamon Frosted Zucchini Bars
- Zucchini Blueberry Bread
- Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
- Sugar Cream Pie
- Oreo Pie
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Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 3 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
For the glaze:
- 6 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ cup milk chocolate morsels
Instructions
- Generously grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and oil together until blended. Add vanilla, milk, and eggs and beat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add flour, cocoa, and espresso powder and beat an additional 2-3 minutes until well combined. Fold in shredded zucchini and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 60-65 minutes.
- Remove and cool about 15 minutes in pan. Place a serving plate over top of pan and invert cake, tapping gently if needed. Allow to cool completely.
- For the glaze, heat the cream in a double boiler (or a glass bowl set over 1inch of boiling water). Whisk in chocolate until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool about 15 minutes.
- Before adding glaze, rip strips of parchment paper and place under edges of cake. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Allow to set, about 15 minutes. Remove strips of paper (and your cake plate will remain nice and clean)!
Notes
- How to shred zucchini: Use a box grater to shred zucchini into fine pieces. You can also use a food processor to grate it but be careful not to puree.
- Using frozen zucchini. You can make my Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipe with frozen zucchini too! Thaw the zucchini and squeeze out any excess water with a paper towel. Then add it to the cake batter as directed.
- Best way to pour glaze on a bundt cake. Place strips of parchment paper under the edges of your cake before adding the glaze. After pouring glaze over the cake, remove the parchment strips. Your cake platter will be neat and clean!
- Serve: Serve slightly warm with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or drizzle some heavy whipping cream on it for a decadent treat.
- Storage: Store in a cake saver at room temperature for up to 5 days. Or freeze slices of leftover cake. Wrap them in plastic wrap and slide in air tight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on counter and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Go ahead and plant some extra zucchini in the garden this year. Then save this Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake recipe as something to look forward to!
I’ve had so many zucchini this summer that I never know what to do with them, so this chocolate zucchini cake is the answer to all my problems! Problems of too much zucchini, and too little chocolate cake in my life. 😉
Wow this cake looks superb! It’s so moist and deep, dark chocolaty!! I just want to dig in! Sometimes I wish I had a garden too and then I remember that I can’t keep potted plants alive and I slowly drift back down to Earth. You’ll get a garden again!
Haha, I don’t have a single indoor plant, I can’t seem to keep them alive. But outdoors, I’m pretty okay. hehe!
It definitely is not disappointing!
i never would have thought to use zucchini in a chocolate cake before, definitely curious to know what it tastes like!
Sorry to hear about your garden Aimee, but thank goodness for awesome friends that share 🙂 This cake looks phenomenal! Love the ganache! With all the healthy veggies in here, that means I can have more yes?;)
Definitely you should have more! Veggie Cake = Healthy = MORE CAKE.
This looks so dark and chocolatey! I used to go to a vegetarian restaurant that used beetroot in their chocolate cake and it was one of the best cakes I have ever eaten so the idea of zucchini is very appealing.
I’ve heard of using beetroot in cake too, however I’ve never tried it! This cake is very dark, but it’s not a dense or super rich chocolate cake. The ganache gives it the perfect touch of sweetness!
I dont have a bundt pan, can I just use a 9×13?
Yes you can. If you follow the link to King Arthur FLour recipe, they have the cooking time for the 13×9 🙂
ooooh I want a vegetable garden! I’m sure you’ll have one again soon 🙂
and I sooo need to try chocolate zucchini cake! There’s veggies in there so it’s healthy, right? 😛
Exactly. Healthy veggie cake!!
We love zucchini marinated in a robust italian dressing and then grilled. Always a hit with friends and family. So simple 🙂
Oh I bet that is delish! Italian dressing is my secret ingredient in many recipes 🙂
I’ve always wanted to try baking a chocolate zucchini cake!! I’ve got to do this now because I have so much zucchini to use! love this! Pinned!!
Definitely try it! So good!
I’m sorry you had to leave your garden! I feel for you, because I don’t have one. 🙁 At least there’s plenty of zucchini at farmer’s markets, etc. right now for this beautiful cake! And ganache is always the answer! Pinning. 🙂
Thank so much for pinning Marcie. And yes, ganache is ALWAYS the answer 🙂
I just love chocolate and zucchini together!!! This cake is gorgeous looking!!!
Wish you were here to enjoy it with me 🙂
Aimee, have you ever tried pan release spray? Wilton makes it or you can get it at cake supply places. It works wonders for releasing your cakes!
This one looks amazing. Love the glaze!
I will have to look for it. Although I will probably STILL hold my breath, hehe!!!
Ganache is always a good thing! This cake looks so good!
We actually had a terrible crop for zucchini this year but that doesn’t stop me from wanting this cake!
Oh no! Seems like I had to rotate my crop every year so the bugs didn’t find us! Hopefully you can find a neighbor, grocery store or farmstand with some zucchini to use 🙂
GORGEOUS cake!!!
I love any dessert that you can sneak extra veggies into. The Kids think they’re getting something naughty but really it’s good for them!
Leaving a garden behind really stinks, but I’m sure the family that bought your house is loving it;) It’s been a great year for our garden here in Ohio. Your cake looks so moist and chocolately! Thanks for sharing another option for using up our extra zucchinis.
You’re welcome! I sure hope the new owners are gardeners, because I left one heck of a garden behind 🙂
I’m sure they will:)
Wow. We are thinking the same thing today. This morning I posted about missing gardens and a recipe for chocolate zucchini bread. Well I am loving this cake though because zucchini with chocolate is one of the few ways I’ll eat it.
I think Zucchini is the “in thing” right now!! Could be because people’s gardens are exploding!
This cake looks so good, I love the combination of chocolate with zucchini and can’t wait to try it!
Such a bummer you had to leave your garden, but yay for friends who share 🙂 This cake looks amazing! Love that there’s zucchini in it, just another way for me to sneak some veggies in my kids..and myself.
I love to be sneaky!! Haha 🙂