Chocolate Zucchini Cake
How to make the best chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate frosting. This frosted chocolate zucchini cake is the most moist, rich chocolate cake with the most decadent chocolate frosting. You will not even realize you are eating zucchini!
Servings: 20
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Oil (such as canola)
- 1 cup Sugar
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 3 large Eggs
- 1-2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream (preferably full-fat)
- 3 cups Grated Zucchini
- 2/3 cup Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup Butter (softened)
- 2/3 cup Cocoa Powder
- 3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream or Milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start by grating the zucchini. Once the zucchini is grated, spread it out on paper towels to let them soak up some of the liquid from the zucchini.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until creamed together. Stir in the grated zucchini and sour cream.
- Add cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix only until combined. You want to avoid over-mixing as it will create too much gluten in the cake. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into a 9 x 13 pan (you may lightly spray it with non-stick cooking spray). Bake for 24-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when placed in the center of the cake.
- Cool completely and then frost with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and heavy cream until light and fluffy. May add more heavy cream depending on desired consistency. Spread over cooled cake.
Video
Notes
- Oil -- you can use any type of oil in this cake recipe. After some experimentation with cakes, I found that oil creates the moistest cake texture.
- Sour Cream -- I suggest using full-fat sour cream. Sour cream is also a game changer in this chocolate zucchini cake as it adds the right amount of fat to keep it extra tender.
- Grated Zucchini -- finely grate the zucchini. You can leave the peel on the zucchini or peel it off. Make sure to soak up extra moisture from the zucchini with paper towels before adding to the batter.
- Cocoa Powder -- I suggest using a good-quality cocoa powder. My favorite is Callebaut cocoa powder. I find it in the bulk bins at Winco.
- Flour -- I suggest using all-purpose flour. You may also use cake flour.
- Chocolate Chips -- I suggest using semi-sweet chocolate chips.