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You will love my chocolate zucchini cake recipe. It is super easy to make and made with secretly healthy and good-for-you ingredients to make this healthy chocolate dessert guilt-free.
You will also love my sweet potato brownies recipe that I made without any flour and these healthy protein brownies made out of added protein powder.
Can you believe the frosting for this chocolate is healthy and actually made out of a vegetable? That’s right! the frosting is made of sweet potatoes and melted chocolate! So good!
Double up on your veggies while you have dessert with this chocolate zucchini cake! I really enjoyed making this healthier chocolate cake and I even love the fact that I sneal in those veggies and my kids cant even tell. All I say is “these are healthier brownies you will like them”😬. They are so easy to make, so moist, and can be ready in just about 30-35 minutes.
Why this recipe is so good
- Easy: Super easy to make with little prep time. Only two ingredients are needed for the frosting too!
- Healthy: Made with clean and wholesome ingredients. They are perfectly a guilt-free treat.
- Delicious: Get your daily dose of chocolate with this decadent chocolate-flavored treat. They are just so good!
Ingredients you will need
- Flour: I used oat flour for a healthier option and a gluten-free option.
- Eggs: Free-range eggs
- Zucchini: Use fresh. Peeled and grated. You can leave them unpeeled if you prefer, you will just see bits of green in the cake.
- Chocolate: I used sugar-free dark chocolate.
- Oil: I used coconut oil. But other neutral oils are fine.
- Sweet potato
- Sweetener: I used Swerve but coconut sugar is fine as well
- Baking powder and salt
See a full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below!
How to make chocolate zucchini cake
Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper. Follow the steps below.
- Step 1: In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and fluffy (about 1 minute).
- Step 2: Whisk in the zucchini and granulated sweetener. Set aside.
- Step 3: In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and coconut oil.
- Step 4: Using a microwave, melt the chocolate in 30-second increments until the chocolate is melted. Mix until smooth.
- Step 5: Add the melted chocolate mixture.
- Step 6: Whisk melted chocolate with the egg and zucchini mixture until incorporated.
- Step 7: Into the chocolate mixture, add the oat flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Step 8: Stir the wet and dry ingredients until combined.
- Step 9: Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 24-27 minutes.
- Step 10: Peel and cube your sweet potato. Place the cubes on a microwave-safe plate and cook for 3-4 minutes on high. Transfer the cubes to a food processor or high-speed blender.
- Step 11: Blend until pureed. Melt chocolate and add to the sweet potato puree. Continue blending until incorporated.
- Step 12: Once the cake and frosting have both cooled to room temperature, frost the cake and serve.
Recipe notes and Tips
- Use any flour of your choice. All-purpose, wheat, or oat flour will be great substitutes.
- Dark chocolate can be used in place of sugar-free chocolate
- Coconut oil is preferred but any other neutral oil will work. Try avocado oil too.
- Sweeteners: Coconut sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, monk fruit sugar, or sweeteners like Swerve or Truvia.
- Makes about 9 pieces. The serving size is one square.
- Place leftovers in a container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can freeze them for up to 3 months and allow it to thaw in the fridge when ready to eat again.
Frequently asked questions
just like bananas and applesauce, zucchini can be used in baking to add some texture and moisture to your baked goodies. It gives your baked cakes, muffins, and bread bulkiness with some added nutrition at the same time! The flavor of zucchini is very milk and pairs well with flavors in baking like chocolate, cinnamon, and so on.
Peeling the zucchini is unnecessary and you definitely do not have to peel it. The skin is edible and perfectly ok to eat. Just make sure you thoroughly wash the zucchini first. It is highly recommended to grate the zucchini though if you are using them in baking. Grated zucchini will melt while baking, making it almost impossible to know it is present in your cake or bread. I did peel the zucchini for this recipe. It is completely optional.
If you are looking for another vegetable to sub the zucchini with, your next and closest option would be zucchinis sister, yellow squash. They are the closest to zucchini in terms of taste and texture. Looking to skip on the vegetable completely? Use a grated apple instead! Grate it just as you would a zucchini and add it to the cake recipe. It works just as well and moisture and a tad bit more sweetness.
Chocolate Dessert recipes you may like
- Double Chocolate Protein Pudding
- Chocolate Protein Pancakes
- Healthy Zucchini Brownies
- Chocolate Overnight Oats
- Flourless Chocolate Muffins
Recipes you may like
- No-Bake Brownie Protein Bites
- Peanut Butter Brownie Baked Oatmeal
- No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read this blog post. Making this chocolate cake? I hope you like it. Leave me a comment below with your feedback. I would love to hear from you.
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Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup Gluten-free oat flour, or flour of choice
- 2 Eggs, large
- 1/2 cups Zucchini, peeled and grated
- 2/3 cup Sugar-free dark chocolate chips, about 100-110g of chocolate bar
- 1/4 cup Coconut oil, or avocado oil
- 1/2 cup Granulated sweetener, swerve or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- pinch Sea salt
Frosting:
- 1 Sweet potato, small or half a large
- 1/2 cup Sugar-free dark chocolate chips, or 80-85g of chocolate bar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and fluffy (about 1 minute). Whisk in the zucchini and granulated sweetener. Set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, gently melt the chocolate and coconut oil together until smooth. Add the chocolate mixture to the zucchini bowl and whisk until incorporated.
- Add in the oat flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 24-27 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare your frosting. Peel and cube your sweet potato. Place the cubes on a microwave-safe plate and cook for 3-4 minutes on high. Transfer the cubes to a food processor or high-speed blender. Blend until pureed. Melt chocolate and add to the sweet potato puree. Continue blending until incorporated.
- Once the cake and frosting have both cooled to room temperature, frost cake, and serve.
Video
Notes
- Use any flour of your choice. All-purpose, wheat, or oat flour will be great substitutes
- Dark chocolate can be used in place of sugar-free chocolate
- Coconut oil is preferred but any other neutral oil will work. Try avocado oil too.
- Sweeteners: Coconut sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, monk fruit sugar, or sweeteners like Swerve or Truvia.
- Makes about 9 pieces. The serving size is one square.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to make Oat Flour???
Hi. Just use a high powdered blender and blend it.
I really liked this recipe! I made my own oat flour for the first time, interesting! Thanks so much for sharing.
That’s awesome. Glad you liked it