Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Avocado Frosting

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Avocado Frosting. Thick moist chocolate zucchini cake with creamy avocado frosting is a delicious way to sneak in some veggies!

So I went outside today to check on my garden for the first time in days and I found these monster zucchinis. And by monster sized I really mean it! This zucchini was the size of half my leg! And being a tall woman, that is saying something LOL. Needless to say, zucchini season is still on at my house and next on the menu is this super easy to make chocolate zucchini cake with rich creamy dark chocolate avocado frosting.

Is chocolate zucchini cake healthy?

I would not call this cake a "health food." But, my chocolate zucchini cake does have some healthy ingredients included in it! There is.. like the name says.. zucchini in the batter! Zucchini is high in potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B. The batter is also made with nutrient dense cacao powder. I like to use organic ingredients instead of ones that are bleached (like bleached white flour, bleached sugar, bleached salt).

To top my chocolate zucchini cake I used an avocado frosting that has a lot of great ingredients like avocados, cacao powder, and maple syrup in place of sugar.

NOTE: maple syrup does still spike your glucose levels, but it is more natural than conventional bleached and refined sugar.

Do you think dessert should be healthy? I love healthy dessert options for the every day sweet treat. But, I am a firm believer that all foods fit! If you are eating nutrient rich foods (fruits, veggies, whole grains, healthy fats, lean meats, etc.) 90-95% of the day, the other 5-10% of the time it's okay to indulge! When your body is filled with antioxidants and all the nutrients it needs, it can process and keep inflammation in check when you eat traditional "inflammatory foods." On the other side, if you are eating processed grains at every meal, adding sugar to many things, sipping on drinks made with artificial ingredients, and snacking on packaged foods... then it would be much harder for your body to handle your favorite treats.

Health benefits of avocados

Avocados are AMAZING for your health. If I could eat an avocado every day, I would! But.. unfortunately living in upstate NY we sometimes get a shortage of good avocados LOL!

Avocados are extremely nutrient dense. They contain a range of vitamins and minerals including vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin E, and many more!

Avocados are extremely high in fiber. They have a whopping 7 grams of fiber, which is more than 25% of what you need in an entire day!

Avocados are LOADED with healthy fats. These healthy fats are important for lowering inflammation, skin health, brain health, and heart health! SO many studies have linked avocados to helping lower cholesterol levels!

Since avocados are so high in fat content, they can help absorb other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E and K.

Chocolate zucchini cake ingredients

For the chocolate zucchini cake:

• Sugar
• Avocado oil
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Zucchini
• Flour
• Cacao powder
• Baking powder & baking soda
• Pink sea salt
• Ground cinnamon
• Milk of choice

For the chocolate avocado frosting:

• Avocados
• Cacao powder
• Maple syrup
• Coconut oil
• Vanilla extract

About the ingredients

Sugar

I use an organic and unrefined sugar in my baking recipes.

Avocado oil

You can use avocado or melted and then cooled coconut oil.

Eggs

I buy my eggs locally at the farmers market! It is important to buy free range eggs.

Vanilla Extract

Make sure to look for pure vanilla extract and don't use the imitation extract.

Zucchini

Right from my back yard!

Flour

I use organic all-purpose flour. I've also used white wheat flour for an even healthier chocolate zucchini cake.

Cacao powder

Cacao powder is much higher in nutrients than cocoa powder because of the way it is processed.

Baking powder & baking soda

Make sure you buy aluminum free baking powder!

Pink sea salt

Unlike conventional table salt, pink sea salt is not bleached or refined!

Ground cinnamon

A tiny bit of ground cinnamon adds such a nice flavor to this cake.

Soy milk

Use any type of milk that you like in this recipe.

How to make chocolate zucchini cake

First, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and lining a 9" glass baking dish with parchment paper. I find that parchment paper works way better to prevent sticking than greasing the pan.

Next, beat the ¾ cup oil, 3 eggs, and 2 cups of sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 2 cups shredded zucchini and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, sift together 2/12 cups flour, ½ cup cacao powder, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

Add the dry mixture alternatively with milk to the egg mixture. I added half the dry mixture, then half the milk, and repeated with the other 2 halves. Mix your batter until it is just combined. Over mixing can leave you with a chewy cake texture.

Finally, pour the batter into your prepared baking dish.

Bake in the center rack for 50-60 minutes.

It will be done when:

-A toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

-The top springs back when lightly pressed

Allow your chocolate zucchini cake to cool completely before you add the frosting!

How to make a one bowl chocolate zucchini cake:

Are you in a time pinch and want to make your chocolate zucchini cake in 1 bowl? Or, like me and you don't want to do ANY extra dishes!! To make this chocolate cake batter in one bowl, grab a large bowl. Add all your dry ingredients and sift them together. Then, form a well (a hole) in the center of your dry ingredients. Add all your wet ingredients to the center of the well. Whisk the wet ingredients together, being careful not to mix in the dry ingredients yet. Finally, mix your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.

How to make chocolate avocado frosting

While your cake cools, add 2 ripe avocados, ½ cup cacao powder, ½ cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons softened coconut oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to a blender or food processor.

Blend the ingredients until you have a smooth and creamy chocolate frosting.

Spread the frosting on top of your cooled cake and enjoy!

How to store chocolate zucchini cake

Store your cake at room temperature with a tight fitting lid for up to 3 days. After 3 days the texture will start to taste dry and stale.

FAQ's

How do you make a healthy zucchini chocolate cake?

This chocolate zucchini cake recipe is pretty healthy with the avocado oil, zucchini, cacao powder, milk, and healthy chocolate avocado frosting. But, my chocolate zucchini cake can be made even healthier! The two ingredients that only really need to be changed are the flour and the sugar. See the ingredients below and the suggested substitutes.

• Sugar- try making it with ½ cup instead of 1 cup, use maple syrup in its place
• Flour- use white wheat flour for higher protein and fiber content

The chocolate avocado frosting is made with all totally healthy ingredients! If you want to experiment with the sugars (maple syrup), start with just ⅛ cup maple syrup in your frosting and then add more.

Can you make a chocolate zucchini cake vegan?

This chocolate zucchini cake can be made vegan! The only thing non vegan in this recipe are the eggs! Instead of an egg, make 1 flax egg. To make a flax egg simply mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons water. For the milk, you can use any type of milk that you have. I used vanilla soy milk in my cake batter.

The chocolate avocado frosting has all vegan ingredients already!

Does zucchini cake need to be refrigerated?

No zucchini cake does not need to be refrigerated. I personally don't like storing cakes in the fridge because I don't like eating them cold. But, if you want to extend its shelf life a little bit, I think you could store in the refrigerator. Super moist cakes, like zucchini cake, tend to go bad quicker at room temperature.

Do you peel zucchini for baking?

No! Don't peel the zucchini for baking. It might be tempting to peel the zucchini's skin, but you don't need to. Zucchini melts into the cake, so peeling it is just extra unnecessary work.

How long does zucchini cake last?

Properly stored, freshly baked zucchini cake will last for up to 3 days at room temperature. You can extend its shelf life by storing it in the fridge. Freshly baked zucchini cake will keep for up to a week in the fridge if stored in an airtight container.

How many calories are in a piece of zucchini cake?

1 piece with frosting: 495 calories, 21g fat (1.9g polyunsaturated 14.4 monounsaturated), 79g carbohydrate (6.5g fiber), 8g protein.

More treats you might like:

• Green matcha macarons
• Pink cinnamon rolls
• Sourdough cinnamon rolls
• Passionfruit macaroons
• Pink meringue cookies
• Blue marbled donuts
• Lemon poppyseed donuts
• Strawberry poptarts

If you try this Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube!

~Rosemary