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Chocolate Lover’s Zucchini Cake

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This chocolate lover’s zucchini cake is a sweet treat for any chocolate lover. Moist, tender chocolate cake and a decadent chocolate frosting come together to create a chocolate zucchini cake that packs a one-two punch of rich chocolaty flavor that will have everyone coming back for more.

Five slices of chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate frosting on a white plate with the title at the top of the photo.

Chocolate zucchini cake is just about the best thing ever! The zucchini keeps the cake super moist and tender, and all that rich chocolate flavor is just heavenly. The only thing that can make it better is adding a healthy dose of chocolate frosting, which is exactly what I’ve done with this recipe. I took rich chocolate zucchini cake and topped it with super-rich and decadent chocolate buttercream frosting to create the best chocolate cake of any kind you’ll ever eat! I love to serve this to my kids when they visit with their families, and I always bring it to potlucks. No one can resist it!

Chocolate Lover’s Zucchini Cake

This delicious cake starts with a chocolate cake batter that’s super moist, thanks to over 2 cups of zucchini found inside of it. The zucchini adds so much moisture and gives the cake a nice body, but you won’t ever taste the zucchini. I baked it, let it cool, and then top it with the best chocolate frosting you’ll ever make. It’s a super-rich chocolate buttercream frosting that gives the cake a final shot of deep chocolate flavor to make every bite just explode with chocolaty goodness. It’s an easy recipe perfect for weeknight desserts or any special occasion.

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

  • This chocolate cake is so moist and decadent and is a chocolate lover’s dream come true.
  • The cake is baked in a Bundt pan and is perfect for any occasion.
  • It’s frosted with the “best chocolate frosting ever,” which complements the moist chocolate cake by adding a layer of rich, creamy chocolaty goodness.
Slices of chocolate cake on a white surface.

Chocolate Lover’s Zucchini Cake Ingredients

This delicious chocolate cake uses simple baking ingredients that you can find in your kitchen or at any grocery store. It’s a no-frills ingredient list that’s easy to shop for.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

  • Granulated sugar
  • Vegetable oil
  • Large eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Cocoa powder
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Salt
  • whole milk
  • Grated zucchini

Chocolate Frosting

  • Butter
  • Cocoa powder
  • Powdered sugar
  • Whole milk
  • Vanilla extract

Actual measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

How to Make Chocolate Lover’s Zucchini Cake

Making this cake is a straightforward affair. There’s really nothing to it, and you’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time.

Step 1: Prep

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a Bundt pan. Set aside.

Step 2: Combine the Wet Ingredients

Mix the sugar, oil, and eggs until creamy in a large mixing bowl. Then, add the vanilla and mix again until well combined.

Step 3: Combine the Dry Ingredients

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt in a smaller bowl.

Step 4: Make the Cake Batter

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. The, stir in the milk. Finally, add the zucchini and mix until combined.

Step 5: Bake

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan and bake for about 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool until safe enough to handle. Then, invert the pan onto a wire cooling rack, give it a tap to loosen it, and turn the cake out onto the wire rack to cool completely.

Step 6: Make the Frosting

Mix the melted butter and cocoa together in a medium-sized bowl. Then, add a little powdered sugar and milk and stir. Repeat until all the ingredients are well mixed. Then, mix the frosting on low speed with ah and mixer until creamy. Add the vanilla and mix again.

Step 7: Frost

When the cake has thoroughly cooled, top it with the frosting, coating the entire top with a generous layer of frosting. Enjoy!

A close up of a slice of chocolate zucchini cake on a white plate.

Recipe Tips for Chocolate Cake

  • Be sure every nook and cranny of your Bundt pan is greased and coated with flour so the cake will release.
  • To easily turn out your cake, invert it onto the cooling rack and give it a few taps all around the outside of the pan. This helps the cake release.
  • You must grease and flour your Bundt pan rather than simply using non-stick spray. Non-stick spray alone will not keep the cake from sticking.
  • Drain your grated zucchini thoroughly before adding it to the batter, or the batter will be too runny.

Variations

  • You can use Dutch process cocoa for this cake and frosting.
  • Add a little instant coffee to the cake and frosting for deeper chocolate flavor.
  • For more intense flavor and some warmth – not heat – add just a touch of cayenne pepper to the cake batter. Not too much!

What to Serve with Chocolate Lover’s Zucchini Cake

A glass of milk, a cup of coffee or tea, or even a nice dessert wine are all excellent pairings for this cake. You an also serve fresh berries or a scoop of ice cream alongside it.

Recipe FAQ

Do you peel zucchini before shredding it for cake?

There’s no need to peel zucchini before shredding it for baked goods. The skin doesn’t change the texture of the final product at all. The only difference is that you’ll see green flecks in whatever you’ve baked with the unpeeled zucchini.

What is a good way to get the extra moisture out of grated zucchini?

Place paper towels in the bottom of a strainer. Then, add the zucchini in an even layer and top it with more paper towels. Press down firmly in the center of the zucchini working your way outward toward the edge of the strainer. This effectively removes the excess water without losing any of your shredded zucchini.

Should I dry out zucchini before baking?

If you’re baking the zucchini as a side, drying it out a bit will prevent a soggy baked product. However, if you’re using it in baked goods, DO NOT dry it out. Simply press out the excess moisture. The moisture content of zucchini is what makes it such a great addition to baked goods. Drying it out takes that away.

What does zucchini replace in baking?

Zucchini doesn’t necessarily replace anything in baked goods. Instead, it adds extra moisture and more volume, resulting in a more tender and rich final product.

Why is zucchini used in baking?

Zucchini is a common addition to baked goods because it adds more moisture and volume to the batter. This creates cakes and cupcakes that are extra tender with a wonderful texture.

A double collage photo of slices of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

How to Store Leftover Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Store this cake in a cool dry place in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to a week, although it will dry out a bit. Finally, you can freeze it for up to 3 months by wrapping it tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil and freezing it.

Try This Delicious Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe Today

This super-rich, decadent chocolate zucchini cake is easy to make and hard to stop eating. Moist chocolate cake topped with sweet chocolate buttercream frosting creates a one-two punch of chocolate flavor that will wow any crowd. They’ll love the flavor, and you’ll love how easy it is to make. Give it a try, and I know you’ll find yourself making it again and again.

A three collage photo of slices of chocolate cake on a white surface.

More Delicious Chocolate Recipes You’ll Enjoy

Here are some other delicious chocolate recipes that can be found on the blog: Chocolate Cashew Brittle, Chocolate Avocado Zucchini Cake, and Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake.


Five slices of chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate frosting on a white plate with the title at the top of the photo.

Chocolate Lover’s Zucchini Cake

Great Grub, Delicious Treats
This deliciously moist and decadent chocolate zucchini cake is an incredibly scrumptious chocolate cake recipe with the best chocolate frosting. A chocolate lover's dream.
4.56 from 442 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 581 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Cake

For Chocolate Frosting

Instructions
 

Chocolate Lover’s Zucchini Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325°.
  • Grease and flour a Bundt pan.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, oil, and eggs together until creamy.
  • Add in vanilla, and mix until well combined.
  • In a smaller bowl, stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt together with a small whisk just to blend everything together.
  • Add flour mixture in with the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla. Mix well.
  • Slowly mix in the milk.
  • After everything is well combined, stir in the zucchini.
  • Pour into bundt pan and bake for approximately 60 minutes.
  • Cake will be done when tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
  • *Check cake at 50-55 minutes

Chocolate Frosting

  • In a medium size mixing bowl, add melted butter. Mix in cocoa.
  • Next add in some powder sugar and then milk, then some powdered sugar then milk. Repeat until all is well mixed. Mix on low speed.
  • After frosting is well blended, add in vanilla.
  • Makes about 2 cups of frosting.
  • Frost cake once cake has cooled.

Video

Notes

Nutritional values are approximate.
 
Please note that these values can change with different brands and any modifications made to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements.
 
Cake recipe mostly adapted from A Dash of Sanity
Frosting from Hershey’s Cocoa.

Nutrition

Serving: 0gCalories: 581kcalCarbohydrates: 90gProtein: 7gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 322mgPotassium: 312mgFiber: 4gSugar: 64gVitamin A: 371IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Cake Recipe, Chocolate Frosting, Chocolate Lover’s Zucchini Cake
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Five slices of chocolate cake.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Jen

    This looks wonderful!! Do you think the texture of this cake would be sturdy enough to use as part of a checkerboard cake? I can’t tell if it would fall apart trying to cut it and reassemble in the layers!

  5. Taylor

    Does this cake need to me refrigerated? And does it keep pretty well for a few days without cutting into it? Thanks!!

    • Great Grub, Delicious Treats

      Hi Taylor, If you aren’t going to cut it right away, I’d keep it in the fridge until you are ready to eat it. It does keep well. It never lasts long enough in our house but I do put cakes in the fridge for freshness. :)

  6. jeannine

    This cake is so moist, best cake yet. I added sour cream instead of milk. It was instant gone. Made a second and same results, gone

  8. Melody

    This cake is FANTABULOUS!! My husband said – finally a really moist cake. I added extra cinnamon to the cake recipe and I think the next time I will change the frosting a bit. It is a little hard to frost a Bundt cake so I think I will half the recipe adding more milk to make it thinner to drizzle down the sides of the cake. Since we really like the cinnamon with the chocolate I will add cinnamon to the frosting as well.

  10. Christy Lampa

    I made this cake today for a family reunion, it was a huge hit! I did substitute the oil for real butter, it was very moist and everyone wanted the recipe.

  12. Erika N

    I was looking up recipes to use some extra grated zucchini I had. I made 3 loaves of bread and didn’t really want any more. I saw cake and thought I LOVE cake!!! And let me tell you, I LOVE THIS CAKE! It ranks among the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had!!!! Swear, your will love this cake! I usually don’t leave comments, but this cake was so fantastic. The only thing I changed was I baked it in a 13×9 cake pan for 40 minutes. It was perfect, thanks so much for the recipe!

  13. Dom

    Loved this cake. My co worker brought summer squash from his garden to give away at work and I used it to make this deliciousness! It was awesome! Thanks for sharing.

  14. Ye Ting

    Hi, I just made this cake. Can you tell me what texture will be inside the cake? soft, moist or hard? After I done baking, I kind of leave the cake in room temperature over night, then I frost the cake next morning, and then I put it back to the fridge. After 5 hours, I take it out, the cake is kind of “not moist” inside, is it normal? Is that because I left it at room temperature too long?

  16. Megan

    Would this work as a two layer cake instead of a Bundt cake? I want to make this as a birthday cake, and a layer cake seems more birthday-y.

  19. Aimee

    If I wanted to do this in a 9×13…. how would I change the baking times? Frosting amount would work still?

  22. Iona

    made this a few days ago…delish!!! Instead of the chocolate frosting I topped it with almond frosting.

  23. Bet

    TY this looks so amazing and I’m drowning in zucc. You might not eat the whole thing but I’m seriously considering it. :)

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4.56 from 442 votes (440 ratings without comment)