Made with dark cocoa powder and grated zucchini, this healthier cake is rich, moist, and delicious. You can feel better about cheat day when you indulge on this Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake topped with chocolate ganache!
Science says that dark chocolate is good for you!
You can take that however you want, but I’m taking that to mean I can eat all the dark chocolate cake I want! OK, that’s probably not actually a good idea. Nonetheless, this Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake is definitely a good idea! Made with dark cocoa powder and grated zucchini, this cake is rich, moist, and delicious. Despite the addition of something healthy (zucchini), this simple cheat day treat tastes like a rich chocolate cake.
No one will know it’s Zucchini Cake!
Instead of eating a salad from now on, let’s just sneak our veggies into chocolate cakes! Much like a carrot cake, zucchini cake is extra moist because the shredded squash releases moisture into the batter. Because it’s grated so finely, you don’t even notice the texture of the zucchini, so it’s hard to tell it’s anything more than a traditional chocolate cake. I learned it was easier to just tell people it was a chocolate cake until after they tried it. The second you throw the word “zucchini” in there, people assume it’s going to taste like vegetables and that’s definitely not the case here.
Top this cake with Chocolate Ganache!
If you’re less worried about your diet and just want to indulge, you can top this chocolate zucchini cake with homemade chocolate ganache for even richer flavor. The ganache also adds another texture to the cake and makes it taste even more moist. Alternatively, you could bake this cake recipe in a large rectangular baking pan and top it with your favorite buttercream frosting and sprinkles. Whether you want to serve it to your dinner guests or at your kid’s birthday party, it’s a versatile cake!
Home chef tip for success:
I like to make this recipe in a bundt pan, but you can adjust the baking time for any kind of pan, including cupcakes or a layered cake. If using a bundt pan, I highly recommend greasing the pan AND dusting it with flour to make it easier to remove the cake in one piece. It took me a long time to get the hang of baking with bundt pans, but this simple step will help! I especially loved this intricate style of bundt pan I picked up at a garage sale last year.
Have a little fun with it! This healthier cake recipe may have zucchini in it, but it’s still just a delicious chocolate cake.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup dark cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cups finely grated zucchini (about 1 1/2 zucchinis)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 5 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a bundt cake pan or large baking dish with cooking spray and dust with flour (recommended for bundt pans).
- Grate the zucchini and pour on a paper towel to drain excess water.
- In one bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and oil until smooth and pale with no lumps remaining.
- Mix in each egg.
- Sift the cocoa powder into the bowl, and mix in the buttermilk and vanilla. Mix until just combined. Scrape the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients in batches, mixing until some white still remains.
- Gently stir in the grated zucchini.
- Distribute the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes for a bundt pan (less for a square baking pan). Remove when an inserted skewer comes out free of liquid batter.
- Let the cake cool for at least 5 minutes before carefully flipping it over and removing the cake. Let cool completely before topping with ganache or frosting.
- Heat the heavy cream on the stovetop or in the microwave (about 1 min) in a liquid measuring cup with a spout. Once sizzling, add the chocolate and whisk until smooth.
- Let the ganache cool slightly so that it thickens, then drizzle over the top of the chocolate zucchini cake.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: Try adding chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the cake batter for a tasty addition as well as some texture!
We hope you love this Chocolate Ganache Topped Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake from SoFabFood Home Chef, Holly from Club Crafted. If you enjoyed this delicious recipe, you can find more like it by visiting our dessert section. For weekly recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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