This traditional chocolate zucchini cake recipe is extremely easy to make and healthy when compared to other chocolate cake recipes. This one is topped with chocolate frosting but you can substitute chocolate chips for an even healthier dessert.
For me, when I think of comfort food I think of my favorite foods I ate as a child. If a recipe reminds me of when I was young, I am going to want to eat it. Today I am bringing you one of my favorite dessert recipes that I have loved ever since I can remember.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Every year for my birthday I would request my mom make me a chocolate zucchini cake, I absolutely loved it! If you have never tried one, the zucchini makes the cake moist and gives it such a wonderful flavor. When I made this for my kids, I didn’t tell them what was in it, and they gobbled it up!
This recipe is the easy chocolate zucchini cake version using some store bought frosting I happened to have on hand. My mom used to put chocolate chips in her zucchini chocolate cake but I was all out so I used this instead. If you have chocolate chips you can omit the frosting and sprinkle a cup of chips on top right before baking and they will soften and melt giving the cake just the right amount of chocolate on top.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe
Scroll down for a printable recipe.
To start be sure to preheat oven to 350 and grease a square 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan. I will often forget this until I have already made the batter and my cake is ready to go in the oven so don’t be like me! I also shred my zucchini using my food processor.
In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix well.
In a separate, and larger mixing bowl, add sugar, egg, oil, and vanilla and mix well. Stir in yogurt. The yogurt gives the cake a tangy flavor. In my mom’s recipe she uses sour milk, so you can substitute that if you don’t have any yogurt in your fridge.
Add dry flour mixture and stir well. Fold in Zucchini. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth with the back of a spoon so it’s even in the pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting and cutting into 9 squares.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 1/2 tub chocolate frosting
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 and grease a square 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan. Set aside.
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In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix well.
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In a separate, and larger mixing bowl, add sugar, egg, oil, and vanilla and mix well. Stir in yogurt. Add dry flour mixture and stir well. Fold in Zucchini. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth with the back of a spoon so it's even in the pan.
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Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting and cutting into 9 squares.
