This recipe takes zucchini cake to the next level by adorning it with a silky chocolate glaze. It’s the perfect lazy summer cake that feels just a little bit elegant.
I love a good turn-a-vegetable-into-dessert recipe. In fact, some of my favorite cakes are made with veggies, including butternut squash cake and a classic carrot cake. These veggies provide moisture and natural sweetness, two things that every cake needs.
So, when your zucchini plants start to go all Little Shop of Horrors like they do every summer, it’s time to make zucchini cake.
Recipe highlights
- Ultra moist zucchini cake. This simple cake gets tons of moisture thanks to the shredded zucchini, melted butter, and whole milk yogurt.
- Shiny chocolate glaze. I’m obsessed with this beautiful, glossy glaze and I’m ready to drizzle it on everything.
- Easy yet elegant. Lazy bakers, rejoice! For minimal effort, you get an elevated version of a simple, humble zucchini cake.
Tips for making this cake
This cake recipe is pretty straightforward, but follow these tips to make sure it’s as amazing as possible!
Measure your shredded zucchini. Zucchini can range greatly in size, especially if they’re coming out of your own garden. Rely less on how many zucchini this recipe calls for, and more on the total amount needed. You’ll want three cups of shredded zucchini for this.
Squeeze out extra moisture. Squash fruits hold a TON of water, and we don’t want all of it in our cake. Before adding the shredded zucchini to the cake batter, bundle it up in cheesecloth and give it a couple of squeezes to eliminate excess water.
Don’t overmix. Fold the cake ingredients together with a light hand, just until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing can cause the cake to be more tough.
Add chocolate. This is a personal preference, but I think the optional mini chocolate chips make the cake at least five times more delicious.
Know when it’s perfectly baked. The most effective way to tell when a loaf cake is done is to use a digital thermometer. The internal temperature should be between 200 – 205° F.
Cool before glazing. Make sure you let the cake cool completely before you glaze it. Otherwise, the glaze will melt!
Chocolate glaze tips
Chop the chocolate fine. The finer you chop it, the easier it will melt into the hot cream.
Don’t overheat the cream. Heat the cream just until bubbles start to form around the edges, but do NOT bring it to a full boil. You need it hot enough to melt the chocolate, but if you overheat it, the glaze will become separated and grainy.
Drizzle while warm. Pour the chocolate glaze over the zucchini cake while the glaze is still warm so that it’s fluid enough to drip over the sides of the cake.
Let it set. For best results, let the glaze set for about an hour before you slice into the cake.
Substitutions & variations
If you don’t have a standard loaf pan or just want the cake to have a different look, you could also make this zucchini cake in an 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round cake pan. You’ll need to adjust the baking time if you change the pan size, so keep an eye on it and use that digital thermometer!
Here are some acceptable ingredients substitutions for this recipe:
Whole milk yogurt – use sour cream.
Mini chocolate chips – omit or use chunks of dark, milk, or semisweet chocolate.
Coconut oil – use avocado oil.
Alternative frosting/glaze options
If you want to mix things up, these frostings would also be a great match for this cake.
- Honey Cream Cheese Icing
- Salted Ganache
- Meyer Lemon Glaze (I’d leave out the chocolate chips if going this direction)
If you make this Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Glaze, please leave a star rating and a comment below! Thank you!
Zucchini Cake with Silky Chocolate Glaze
Equipment
- 9×5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cake
- 2 medium zucchini, grated (about 3 cups grated)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk yogurt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips, (optional)
Silky Chocolate Glaze
- 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, (or avocado oil)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
For the zucchini chocolate chip cake:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan thoroughly on the sides and bottom of the pan. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper for easier removal later, but this is optional.
- Grate zucchini and place in a colander lined with cheesecloth or several layers of paper towels. Bundle the zucchini up with the cheesecloth and give it a good couple of squeezes to eliminate excess water.
- Combine drained zucchini, sugar, melted butter, eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into zucchini mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55-65 minutes. The best way to tell if a loaf cake is done is to take it's internal temperature with a meat thermometer – it should come to about 200° – 205° F.
- Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before removing cake from pan. Cool cake completely before glazing.
For the chocolate glaze:
- Combine chopped chocolate, honey, cocoa powder, and oil in a bowl.
- Heat heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles start to form around the edges – do not bring to a full boil.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate mixture; whisk until chocolate is melted and glaze is smooth.
- Pour the warm glaze generously over the top of the zucchini cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Allow cake to sit for about an hour, until glaze sets. Slice & serve!
Did you try this recipe?
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