I've always wanted to try and make a chocolate zucchini cake. And when I had a bunch of zucchini kicking around in my fridge, I decided to give it a try. I found a recipe with high ratings on All Recipes, read some of the reviews and after a few of my own modifications, it was time to start baking!
To my surprise, the cake turned out perfectly! It was absolutely moist and chocolatey and I didn't feel as guilty having a piece.. or two (with all that zucchini and some of the modifications to try and make it semi-healthy haha). The original recipe uses 1-1/2 cups of vegetable oil and 2 cups of sugar!! Yikes! So, I swapped a cup of oil for plain fat-free yogurt (some reviewers used apple sauce), to cut down the fat, and cut out 1 cup of sugar.
The second time I made it, was for Shane's 30th birthday party (kept the decorating to a minimal, as you can see (but it probably was because I iced the cake after a few drinks - during the party lol). Anyway, those that had a piece said they really liked it so yay!
I totally forgot to take a good photo of a the finished product and a slice of cake, but I'm sure you all know what a moist, chocolate cake looks like!
So, here is my version of a
Chocolate Zucchini Cake:
(adapted from
this recipe)
Prep Time: 15 | Cook Time: 50 min | Servings: 24
You'll need:
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1 cup of whole wheat flour
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 2/3 unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp plain/greek yogurt
- 3 cups grated zucchini
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
How to:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2) In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt. Add the eggs and oil, yogurt, vanilla, mix well. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.
3) Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.
Note: This cake freezes really well. Wrap tightly with aluminium foil then plastic freezer wrap or place in a heavy-duty freezer bag. It stores for 4-6 months.
