The Best Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake
This double chocolate zucchini cake has always been a hit in our house and is a personal favorite dessert of mine. Shredded zucchini makes this cake ultra-moist, while cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips double up the chocolatey flavor. If you have some extra zucchini lying around, I highly encourage you to try this cake!
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Yield: 12
Equipment (Shop on Amazon)
Ingredients
- 1 stick salted butter softened to room temperature (See Note 1 below)
- 1¾ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup avocado oil (or any neutral oil)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (shop my favorite on Amazon)
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- 2 tsp espresso powder or instant coffee (regular or decaf, whichever you prefer)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 3 loosely packed cups shredded zucchini (or approx. 360-400 grams by weight- see Note 2 below)
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (my favorite is from Ghirardelli)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 cake pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using a hand mixer until smooth, which should take approximately 1-2 minutes.1 stick salted butter, 1¾ cup white granulated sugar
- Add the avocado oil, vanilla extract, eggs, sour cream, espresso powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to the butter and sugar. Mix until smooth.½ cup avocado oil, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 large eggs, ⅔ cup sour cream, 2 tsp espresso powder or instant coffee, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder.2½ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking soda
- Add the flour mixture about 1/3 at a time to the mixing bowl containing the wet ingredients. Mix only briefly after each addition of dry ingredients.
- Fold in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips until just well incorporated. Do not overmix! Excessive mixing will allow gluten to develop and may result in a tough cake.3 loosely packed cups shredded zucchini, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Pour or spoon the cake batter into the greased pan and bake for 39-42 minutes at 325°F When the cake is done, the top should spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Do not overbake! (See Note 3 below)
- Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack.
- Enjoy your chocolate zucchini cake! This cake is moist and delicious as is, with no frosting! However, feel free to top it with a dusting of powdered sugar, chocolate ganache, or frosting of your choice if you’d like.
Notes from the Happy To Be Here Kitchen
Note 1. Butter: I like to bake with salted butter, but unsalted butter may certainly be used depending on your preference. Just add a bit more salt to the recipe than what is called for above if you use unsalted butter.
Note 2. Zucchini: While not necessary, I prefer to peel and scoop out the seeds prior to finely shredding the zucchini, especially if using the large zucchini from our garden. If the zucchini I am using is particularly moist/watery, I shred it and then allow it to sit on a paper towel for a minute or two before measuring by either weight or volume.
Note 3. Baking: While a toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean when the cake is fully baked, you may hit a melted chocolate chip that makes it seem like the cake is underbaked. This cake is supposed to be moist, chocolatey, and gooey- so do not be fooled and overbake it!
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