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Decadent Chocolate Zucchini Cake that’s so delicious, moist, easy to make, and bursting with chocolate flavor. This chocolate cake is the perfect guilt-free treat that the whole family can enjoy and can be ready in just about 30 minutes.
Why this recipe is so good
- Easy: Super easy to make with little prep time. Only two ingredients needed for the frosting too!
- Healthy: Made with clean and healthy 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: We used oat flour for a healthier option and a gluten-free option.
- Eggs: Free-range eggs
- Zucchini: Use fresh. Peeled and grated.
- Chocolate: We use sugar-free dark chocolate.
- Oil: We used coconut oil. But other neutral oils are fine.
- Sweet potato
- Sweetener: We used swerve but coconut sugar is fine as well
- Baking powder and salt
How to make this healthy chocolate cake
- Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Mix eggs, sweetener, and zucchini: In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and fluffy (about 1 minute). Whisk in the zucchini and granulated sweetener. Set aside.
- Melt the chocolate: In a microwave-safe bowl, gently melt the chocolate and coconut oil together until smooth.
- Add the chocolate to the bowl: Add the melted chocolate mixture to the zucchini bowl and whisk until incorporated.
- Pour in dry ingredients and mix: Add in the oat flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until combined.
- Bake: Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 24-27 minutes.
- Make the frosting: 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.
- Add frosting to cake: Once the cake and frosting have both cooled to room temperature, frost cake, and serve.
FAQ’s and Tips
- Use any flour of choice. All-purpose, wheat, or oat flour will be great substitutes
- Dark chocolate can be used in place of sugar-free chocolate
- Coconut oil 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 8 pieces. The serving size is one square.
- Place leftovers in a container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can freeze for up to 3 months and just allow it to thaw in the fridge when ready to eat again.
Why is zucchini used in baking
just like bananas and apple sauce, 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.
Do you peel zucchini for baking
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.
What can you replace zucchini with
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.
Other chocolate dessert recipes
- Healthy Chocolate Chia Pudding
- Skinny Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Banana Oatmeal Muffins
- Almond Butter Fudge
- Double Chocolate Protein Pudding
- Chocolate Protein Pancakes
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
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Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup Gluten-free oat flour
- 2 Eggs, large
- 1/2 cups Zucchini, peeled and grated
- 100 g Sugar-free dark chocolate
- 1/4 cup Coconut oil
- 1/2 cup Granulated sweetener, swerve or coconut sugar
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- pinch Sea salt
- Frosting:
- 1 Sweet potato, small or half a large
- 70 g Sugar-free dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare an 8x8 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.
Notes
- Use any flour of choice. All-purpose, wheat, or oat flour will be great substitutes
- Dark chocolate can be used in place of sugar-free chocolate
- Coconut oil 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 8 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