It's hard to believe that this rich, chocolatey cake is made with zucchini and fiber-rich ingredients like coconut flour. Made in a blender or food processor, it only takes 10 minutes to prepare this delicious cake!
Not all cakes are made equal. So obvious, I know, but I just can't find another way to describe just how delicious this zucchini chocolate cake is! It's also
- gluten-free, wheat-free
- paleo
- low carb
- and also dairy-free
It just happens to have zucchini inside. You can't even see it because it's been blended so well!
Ingredients Used to Make This Healthy Zucchini Chocolate Cake
**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂
- Coconut flour – Coconut flour does not substitute well, and I can’t recommend swapping coconut flour with other ingredients unless you absolutely had to (2 Tbsp coconut flour = ½ cup almond flour). Unfortunately, you probably won’t get the same texture or mouthfeel as the original recipe.
- Almond Butter - like this one. You can also use other natural nut butters like pecan butter, walnut butter, cashew butter, mixed nut butter, or even seed butter like sunflower. So many choices!
- Cocoa Powder – regular cocoa powder or dark
- Zucchini - fresh zucchini, sliced so that it can be added in the blender
- Eggs – I used regular large eggs. I haven't tried using egg replacements like flax or chia yet, so you might not get the same results if you decide to substitute.
- Salt – Pink Himalayan salt is what I have at home, so it’s what I use, but you can use any kind for this recipe.
- Coconut Sugar – You can use any granulated sugar of your choice, but coconut, date and maple sugars are less processed sugars I would recommend. Honey and maple syrup should also work, too. For keto options, you could also use monk fruit sweetener or stevia (but be sure to convert according to package instructions since stevia amounts differ by brand).
- Olive Oil – I used thisl, but if you don't have olive oil, you can use coconut oil, or avocado oil here if you'd like.
For the Add-Ins, I used:
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips - there are paleo options like this and sugar-free (keto-friendly) chocolate chips sold online.
Recipes that Also Use Zucchini (MORE HERE)
Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins for this Zucchini Chocolate Cake:
- Do you like Coffee or mocha? Add either a teaspoon of coffee extract or espresso powder.
- Add a variety of natural flavoring / extracts to keep this cake interesting. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract (I didn't feel like it was essential so I left it out in this recipe), or other flavorings or extracts, such as caramel flavoring, hazelnut extract or almond extract.
- Feel free to experiment on using different nut butter. Instead of almond butter you can also use pecan butter, walnut butter, cashew butter, mixed nut butter, or seed butter like sunflower or pumpkin seed butter.
- You can also bake this in a muffin pan instead of a cake pan. Just reduce the baking time to 15-20 minutes.
How to Make this Chocolate Cake Healthier
- Make this even healthier by adding a handful of nuts, seeds and old-fashioned oats to add texture and nutrition.
- Want to increase fiber? Add a Tablespoon of ground flaxseed
- You can also reduce the sugar by half (to make this less sweet), or substitute the sugar with a sugar-free substitute.
What are some ways you can eat this Zucchini Chocolate Cake?
- Plain, since it's still delicious without frosting
- Frosted with my 2-Ingredient Almond Butter Frosting , or this Healthy Powdered Peanut Butter Chocolate Frosting
- Drizzled with honey, maple syrup, caramel or chocolate syrup
- Dusted with powdered sugar or sugar-free powdered sugar. Just make sure you use a sieve to sift the sugar on top!
How to Store
- You can store these cakes covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours. For longer storage, you can place them in a plastic freezer bag or airtight container, then in the fridge for up to 7 days, or freeze up to 4 months.
Final Tips
- Be sure to line your cake pan with parchment paper! The cake is really tender so the parchment paper helps you to take the cake out of the pan with minimal mess.
- Cooling the cake before assembling makes it easier to frost the cake
- Baking time (as well as serving size) will vary based on the size of your cake pan, as well as the material (silicone vs aluminum vs non-stick) of the pan. Bake until the top of the cake is cooked through, or until a toothpick comes out clean/dry when poked into the middle.
You Might Also Like these Healthy Cake Recipes (MORE HERE)
Paleo Zucchini Chocolate Cake Made With Coconut Flour
Ingredients
- 240 g raw zucchini slices (about 1 ¼ medium zucchini)
- 2 large large eggs
- ¾ c cocoa powder
- ¾ cup granulated sugar of choice*
- ½ cup light olive oil
- 2 Tbsp almond butter
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ to 1 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Line a 7 inch square cake or brownie pan with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 350F
- In a food processor or high powered blender, blend all the ingredients except the chocolate chips.
- Stir the chocolate chips into the batter before pouring into the cake pan.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely before taking it out of the pan as it'll be very tender. If you have the time, I recommend chilling the cakes in the fridge before assembling/frosting.
- Spread chocolate frosting on top of the cake, cut and enjoy!
Anonymous says
Hi there,
Love your recipes but i find myself convert the ounce and cups grams.
Thank you.
Ching
All Purpose Veggies says
Hi there, I'm in the process of gradually adding metric conversions to my recipes, but they have to be done somewhat manually so I won't be able to convert them all. Any recipes, in particular, you want converted? I'll be converting this recipe soon. If you add a comment on those recipes, I can easily track down the recipe cards I need to update. Thanks!
Kari Duevel says
Hi there, first off,you're very talented, your recipe is freakin awesome! Question, can I add 1/4 cup less cacao so I use less sugar? Many thanks, much love n peace...♡
All Purpose Veggies says
Hi Kari, thanks so much for saying so! Sugar is often considered a "wet" ingredient since it dissolves into liquid when it's heated - so I think you have the right idea when you say you'll reduce the cocoa powder. Still, I can't be sure since I haven't tried it myself. Let me know how it goes if you do try the substitution!
Stevie Perry says
This recipe is hands down the best healthy chocolate cake recipe i have ever had!! My family will not eat any other chocolate cake recipe now.