Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Sheet Cakes Chocolate-Zucchini Cake 5.0 (4) 3 Reviews This chocolate-zucchini cake is guaranteed to become one of your go-to dessert recipes. By Anna Theoktisto Anna Theoktisto Anna Theoktisto is a recipe tester and developer who's been working in Dotdash Meredith test kitchens since 2017. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 30, 2024 Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Active Time: 35 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins Servings: 12 Zucchini may turn up in casseroles, breads, and appetizers, but we're taking it one step further by incorporating it into a fudgy, moist chocolate-zucchini cake that is guaranteed to become one of your go-to recipes for birthday celebrations, potlucks, and simple weeknight desserts. This impressive yet easy-to-make chocolate-zucchini cake got rave reviews in our Test Kitchen and quickly developed a cult following, and for good reason! It's packed with plenty of green stuff (two medium zucchini), but your family will be too distracted by the rich chocolate flavor and nutty brown butter frosting to notice. The crowning touch of any cake is a tasty frosting, and this Brown Butter-Pistachio Frosting has just the right sweet-salty balance to partner with the deep chocolate cake. Learn how to make chocolate-zucchini cake. This will be a potluck and party favorite after the first time you serve it. Ingredients for Chocolate-Zucchini Cake For chocolate-zucchini cake, most ingredients are standard baking essentials—plus, of course, the zucchini and cocoa powder. Here's the full list: Sugar: For sweetness and a fluffy, light texture.Butter: Adds great flavor to the batter.Oil: Doesn't have much flavor but it makes the cake fluffy and moist, so we use both fats in this chocolate-zucchini cake for that reason.Vanilla: An essential ingredient to round out all the flavors.Eggs: Brings the cake together and gives it body.All-purpose flour: The perfect flour for this cake as it develops a tender crumb.Unsweetened cocoa powder: For the best chocolate flavor without additional sweetness.Baking powder and baking soda: Two leavening agents that help the cake rise tall and proud while baking.Salt: Essential to balance the flavors of the cake.Sour cream: Don't have sour cream on hand? Substitute with plain yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk for similar results.Grated zucchini: Lends loads of moisture to the cake and makes it a bit toothsome.Chocolate chips: Double down on the chocolate flavor with some chips stirred into the batter. The Brown-Butter Pistachio Frosting calls for: Butter: This will be browned for a hidden boost of flavor in the frosting.Cream cheese: Makes the frosting creamy and spreadable, with just a hint of tang to counter the sweet cake.Powdered sugar: Strengthens the frosting so it's spreadable and thick.Vanilla: Boosts the flavors of the other ingredients.Salt: Counters all the sweetness of the frosting.Roasted salted pistachios: For a bit of crunch and saltiness as a surprise way to finish off this classic cake. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox How To Make Chocolate-Zucchini Cake The full recipe for chocolate-zucchini cake is below, but before you get started, here's a brief outline: Step 1. Prepare the pan and oven: Preheat the oven while you work on the batter. Spray a 13-x-9-inch baking pan with baking spray.Step 2. Make batter: Beat sugar, butter, oil, and vanilla until fluffy, then add eggs and beat to incorporate. Add a mix of flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt alternately with sour cream.Step 3. Add zucchini: Stir in grated zucchini and chocolate chips.Step 4. Bake cake: Pour batter into pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes; cool to room temperature.Step 5. Make frosting: Cook butter in a pan until browned; transfer to a bowl and chill until firm. Beat butter with cream cheese until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until fluffy. Stir in five tablespoons of pistachios.Step 6. Frost cake: Spread frosting over cake and sprinkle with remaining pistachios. For optimal texture, shred the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. How To Store Chocolate-Zucchini Cake Chocolate-zucchini cake can be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. Freeze for longer storage, and thaw in the fridge before enjoying. Which Type of Cocoa Powder Should Be Used for Chocolate-Zucchini Cake? When choosing an unsweetened cocoa powder, it's important to note there are two distinct types: natural and dutch-process. Natural cocoa powder is lighter in color and more acidic, meaning it works best when paired with baking soda to help give baked goods their rise. Dutch-process cocoa has had its acid neutralized, so it isn't part of the leavening process and often gets paired in recipes with baking powder and possibly even a small amount of baking soda. While either can be used here, natural cocoa results in a lighter color and flavor, while dutch-process provides deeper chocolate flavor and a darker color. Can You Freeze Chocolate-Zucchini Cake? Yes, you can get a bit of the work of this recipe done in advance by cooking the cake and freezing it—but don't frost it before freezing. Let the cake cool completely before wrapping the baking pan with storage wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. Store the dish in the fridge up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. The frosting won't freeze and thaw well, and to keep it the most spreadable (and less likely to rip your cake), we recommend you frost the cake right after make the frosting. Does Chocolate-Zucchini Cake Need To Be Refrigerated? Yes, once this cake is frosted, it should be stored in the fridge. The cream cheese in the frosting needs to stay cooled to prevent foodborne illness. More Ways With Zucchini and Squash Love baking with zucchini? Try one of these recipes: Zucchini Bread Yellow Squash Bundt Cake Chocolate Zucchini Bread Zucchini Muffins Zucchini Cake Ingredients Chocolate-Zucchini Cake: 2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup canola oil 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 large eggs, at room temperature 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 cup sour cream 2 1/2 cups grated zucchini (from 2 medium [6 oz. each] zucchini) 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips Frosting: 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature 4 cups unsifted powdered sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 8 Tbsp. roasted salted pistachios, finely chopped, divided Directions Prepare the oven and pan: Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 13-x-9-inch baking pan with baking spray. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Make Cake batter: Beat sugar, butter, oil, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs; beat until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Finish Cake batter: Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating well on low speed after each addition. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan; smooth top with a spatula. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Add batter to pan: Pour into prepared pan; smooth top with a spatula. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Bake Cake: Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely in pan, about 1 hour. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Make browned butter: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; pour into a heatproof glass bowl. Chill 1 hour. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Finish Frosting: Transfer solidified brown butter to bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; beat on medium-high speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add cream cheese; beat on high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Increase speed to high, and beat until fluffy, 2 minutes. Stir in 5 tablespoons of the pistachios. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Frost Cake: Spread frosting over cake. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons pistachios. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Frequently Asked Questions Why does chocolate-zucchini cake call for butter and oil? While butter is a great flavor enhancer when making desserts, oil provides a lofty crumb and moist texture, particularly for cakes. Using a combination of the two means you get the best of both worlds: delicious flavor, and that perfectly light, moist texture, even right out of the fridge. Can I double this recipe? Absolutely! Feel free to double this recipe and bake in two separate pans or as a cake and batch of cupcakes. Can I finish this cake with a different type of frosting? This rich chocolate cake can be paired with a multitude of delicious toppings. Classics like vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting pair nicely, or bring that chocolate flavor to the next level with a rich chocolate ganache. Rate It Print