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This Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake is simple to make and a great way to enjoy zucchini. The cake is studded with semi-sweet chocolate chips, warmed up with a pinch of nutmeg, and topped with a super soft chocolate ganache frosting. It bakes in a 13×9 which makes it perfect for summer parties or enjoying all week long.
If you’re not a fan of chocolate ganache frosting, you could always keep this cake unfrosted or use my Chocolate Buttercream.
If you grow zucchini in your garden then you know how prolific they can be. And if you’re like me, you don’t like wasting your harvest no matter how much your garden gives you. This Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake is our favorite and it’s another way you can put your zucchini to good use.
For more chocolate chip goodness, try my Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes, or my reader favorite no chill Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake Ingredients
Here’s everything you will need to make the cake and chocolate ganache frosting. Keep reading because I do have a few important notes for you.
- Zucchini: Shredded and squeezed to remove liquid. It doesn’t have to be squeezed completely dry, you just don’t want a ton of excess moisture in your cake. Also, I did notice that home grown garden zucchini and organic zucchini tends to have less moisture than store-bought.
- Dry Ingredients: This will be a combination of all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground nutmeg. The nutmeg adds this bakery quality that is just so delicious, so don’t be tempted to leave it out!
- Eggs: Get these out of the refrigerator first and crack them into your large bowl. By the time you have all the other ingredients prepared and measured out, they will be warm enough to easily incorporate into the batter.
- Avocado Oil: If you don’t have avocado oil you can use vegetable oil in it’s place. I prefer avocado oil because it’s healthier for you than the highly processed seed oils. It’s also
- Sugars: We will use a granulated sugar and brown sugar in the cake. Just make sure the brown sugar is lightly packed.
- Vanilla Extract: For a little extra flavor! Always opt for real vanilla and never imitation extracts.
- Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Using mini’s means pockets of chocolate chips in every single bite, but it also makes the smoothest chocolate ganache. If you only have standard sized chips, that’s okay too.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This is used to make the ganache frosting, I do not recommend swapping this out for anything else.
How to Make a Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake
This cake is so simple to make. It’s as easy as whisking together the dry ingredients, whisking together the wet ingredients and then the shredded zucchini, mix the two together with the chocolate chips, and bake.
The frosting is just as simple heat up the cream, pour it over the chocolate chips, stir until silky smooth, and pour over your cake. That’s it! So easy right?!
Find the complete recipe instructions with measurements below.
Storing Information
Your Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake should be stored in an airtight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Because of the ganache frosting, you will want to store it in the refrigerator and eat within 5 days or so. Just note, condensation droplets can fall onto the ganache frosting and slightly discolor it, but this won’t hurt the quality of the cake (just the aesthetics).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
More Late Summer Fall Cakes You Might Enjoy
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake
EQUIPMENT
- 13×9 baking dish - glass
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups zucchini - shredded with large hole grater*
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour - measured using the "spoon and level" method*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup avocado oil - or vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar - very lightly packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips - plus more for topping
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- 1 ¾ cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Prepare a 13×9 baking pan with avocado oil or non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the shredded zucchini and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients, and fold a few times with a spatula. Pour in the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and carefully fold together until just combined.
- Pour cake batter into the prepared baking pan, and smooth out until evenly distributed. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick test comes out with few moist crumbs. Allow the cake to cool completely before moving on and making the frosting.
- To make the chocolate ganache frosting, place chocolate chips into a medium-sized bowl or measuring cup and set aside. Heat heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan on the stove top until just steaming (about 150 °F to 180 °F).
- Pour the steaming cream over the chocolate chips and allow it to rest 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk the two together until silky smooth.
- Spread the chocolate ganache frosting over the cake and refrigerate it for 15 min to set the frosting. Top the cake with more semi-sweet chocolate chips, slice into 12 pieces, and serve.
RECIPE NOTES
- 2 cups of shredded zucchini is about one medium-sized zucchini. When measuring out, do not pack it into the measure cup.
- The shredded zucchini doesn’t have to be squeezed completely dry, you just don’t want a ton of excess moisture in your cake. I squeeze out what feels like half of the moisture.
- The best way to shred zucchini is with a cheese grater or box grater (the coarse side with big holes).
STORING INFORMATION
- Refrigerated, in an airtight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 5 days.
- Storing at room temperature is not recommended. The heavy cream in the frosting can spoil and give you a stomach ache.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
