Chocolate Zucchini Cake (vegan)
This vegan chocolate zucchini cake is perfectly soft, fudgy and decadent! The zucchini adds incredible moisture without a hint of vegetable flavor. This cake is an unapologetic dessert that makes eating your greens totally indulgent!
Simple Ingredients You’ll Need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Shredded zucchini. No need to squeeze or blot the water from the zucchini before using it. I carefully developed this recipe so it turns out perfectly moist but not heavy without treating the zucchini. You can use either a box grater or food processor to shred your zucchini – I’ve tested both and they both work well.
Brown sugar adds moisture and a deep molasses flavor that complements this chocolate cake beautifully. And some granulated sugar to keep this cake light.
Dairy-free yogurt adds some structure to this chocolate zucchini cake. Alternatively, you can use unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana or two flax eggs (see the recipe notes for more details).
Cocoa powder. I used Dutch-process cocoa powder for a rich chocolate flavor. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder will work but your zucchini cake will have a milder flavor. Cocoa powder is a very drying ingredient but the natural moisture from zucchini balances this out.
How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Cake
One of the best things about this recipe is that the batter comes together in one bowl!
Simply add all your dry ingredients and mix until combined. Then add all your wet ingredients (including the zucchini) and stir until just combined. Ensure there are no lumps of dry flour and clumps of zucchini. Initially, the batter will feel thick but it’ll loosen after a few minutes as the sugar dissolves and the zucchini softens.
For the best vegan chocolate zucchini cake:
- Ensure you measure the ingredients accurately, especially the flour, cocoa powder and zucchini. Overmeasuring the flour or cocoa will result in a drier cake, whereas too much zucchini will make your cake extra heavy. For the best results, use either the gram measurements (with a kitchen scale) or the spoon and level method if using cups.
- Use room temperature milk and yogurt as they’ll emulsify with the other ingredients more efficiently.
Decorating Your Cake
I topped my cake with a two-ingredient whipped chocolate ganache frosting, chocolate chips and flaky sea salt. Alternatively, you can top your cake with:
- Espresso buttercream frosting, from my espresso coffee cake (use around half the recipe)
- Cream cheese frosting, from my banana cake recipe (use around half the recipe)
- Drizzle of melted chocolate ganache, just like my pumpkin marble cake
- Chocolate avocado frosting, from my vegan beetroot brownies
- Light dusting of cocoa powder
Questions and Answers
This chocolate zucchini cake is richer, sweeter and more indulgent than my bread, as cakes should be!
Yes, you can swap in all granulated sugar, all brown sugar, coconut sugar, or granulated erythritol. Just keep in mind each option slightly changes the final texture and flavor of the cake. You can also reduce the sugar to a total of 1 cup, though the cake will turn out less moist and a bit more crumbly. Alternatively, check out my chocolate zucchini bread and chocolate zucchini muffins which have slightly less sugar than this cake recipe.
I have only tested this recipe with zucchini so I can’t guarantee results but feel free to experiment! Also, check out my sweet potato chocolate cake and beetroot chocolate cake.
I don’t recommend it as it’ll change the ingredient ratios too drastically. Instead, check out my zucchini bread and zucchini muffin recipes.
Yes, some delicious add-ins include:
– chocolate chips
– chopped walnuts or pecans
– espresso powder, to enhance the chocolate flavor
Keep in mind that if you mix in extra ingredients (like chocolate chips), you might need to extend the bake time by 5 to 10 minutes.
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Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose plain flour, spoon and leveled (note 1)
- ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (65g) dutch-process cocoa powder, (note 2)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- Pinch of salt, optional
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup (240g) dairy-free milk, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (190g) coarsely shredded zucchini, (around 1 medium large zucchini)
- ½ cup (110g) neutral flavored oil
- ⅓ cup (75g) dairy-free yogurt, room temperature (note 3 for alternatives)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Chocolate Ganache Frosting (Optional)
- 1 cup (200g or 7-ounce) roughly chopped vegan chocolate or chocolate chips
- 1 cup (230g or 8-ounce) dairy-free cream, or canned coconut cream (thick part only, note 4)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line an 8-inch (20cm) round cake pan with parchment paper.
Prepare the cake:
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir until very well combined. Add all the wet ingredients, including the zucchini, and stir until combined. Some lumps are fine, but make sure there are no streaks of flour or wet ingredients.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake the cake for 48-53 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are fine).
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack.
Make the chocolate ganache (optional):
- Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is steaming. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 3 minutes to soften the chocolate.
- Stir the mixture until the chocolate has melted and you have a smooth ganache. Let the ganache cool at room temperature for around 1 hour or until it's a spreadable consistency. You can also let it set in the refrigerator , but it won't set evenly.
- Once the ganache has cooled, use it as is or beat it with an electric mixer to make it lighter and fluffier. When your cake has fully cooled, top with the ganache.
- Leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Measure your flour accurately: For the best results, use the spoon and level method where you fluff up the flour in the container, use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. I don’t recommend using the measuring cup to scoop flour out of your container as too much flour will result in dry and dense bread. Alternatively, use the grams measurements.
- Dutch-process cocoa powder results in a richer chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa powder will work but your cake will have a milder chocolate flavor.
- Instead of yogurt, you can use the same amount of applesauce or mashed banana. Alternatively, you can use mix two tablespoons of ground flax seeds with six tablespoons of water and mix it with the wet ingredients. If you’re in a pinch, you can skip this altogether, but your cake will be more crumbly.
- Coconut cream results in a thicker ganache so you may want to add an extra dash of milk or cream for a more spreadable frosting.
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Yuuuum…I made this over the weekend as I had an abundance of zucchini and i thought why not bake a delicious chocolate cake! And delicious this was! My family members were delighted with this tasty treat. I did add probably 200gm of chocolate chips which increased the cooking time by almost half hour and added a shot of espresso instead of ground coffee I subbed some milk out to compensate the coffee. This turned out like a chocolate mudcake very moist and chocolatey. I also made a quick raspberry coulis for the top with the chocolate ganache this was sooo good. Thanks for this amazing recipe
Hi Katy, what a great way to use up an abundance of zucchini! So glad the whole family enjoyed it. Love all the extra touches too, the chocolate chips, swapping in an espresso shot for the ground coffee, and the raspberry coulis with chocolate ganache on top sounds like such a decadent finishing touch. A mudcake-like result sounds absolutely delicious! Thanks so much for trying it and sharing all the detail ❤️
Hi, Anthea.
Thank you very much for your recipe.
I cut the cake in two halves and put the chocolate ganache between them and around the cake. On top I poured a kind of jelly I made with fresh blueberries and chia because my father loves them.
Hi Maria, that sounds like an incredible combination!! So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for your feedback!
Hi anthea, cake was so yummy and moist thank you so much! I topped it with fresh strawberries on top of the ganache and it was delicious. wanted to get a slightly thicker consistency to the chocolate ganache (I think I scooped out too much liquid along with cream). If this happens again could I add icing sugar to thicken it up ?
I’m soo glad you enjoyed this cake and thank you for letting me know! For the ganache, yes you can add icing sugar to thicken it up. You could also mix in a bit more melted chocolate but this is more time-consuming as you’ll need to wait for the ganache to cool again. Hope that helps!
This is a 5 ⭐️ recipe. I made it exactly as written (thank you for weighted measurements!) and it came out simply perfect. I baked it for 50-51 minutes and once cooled, it was moist and chocolatey, without being too rich! I didn’t have the time to make a frosting or icing so we topped with plant-based whipped cream, which worked so well with this cake. Teenagers ate it up, too! This will be my go to chocolate zucchini cake moving forward. Thank you!
Hi Sarah, this is so wonderful to hear and I’m over the moon that you (and even teenagers) loved this cake!! Topping it with whipped cream sounds absolutely delightful too. And I’m thrilled the recipe will be a keeper for you. Thank you so much for your kind feedback, you’ve made my day!
This is such an incredible cake! So moist and easy to make! I love that it has zucchini as a hidden treasure inside and no one would ever know! Thank you so much. This will be made all the time and loved across the miles!
Hi Paula, I’m soo happy you loved this cake and that it’ll be a keeper for you!! And wonderful to hear you couldn’t detect the zucchini either. Thanks so much for your lovely feedback, you’ve truly made my day!