This rich and delicious, Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake, with a divine, soft texture, is so good that it doesn’t even need a frosting or glaze. It’s perfect as is!
Do zucchini breads and cakes taste like zucchini?
Nope, not really — but, here’s the deal, zucchini is naturally moist and in many ways it’s similar to oil in its baking characteristics, so it makes for a moist, luscious cake!
If you have a summer garden, it’s very likely you have more than enough zucchini on your hands. So I’m told, anyway. 😉 We do have a summer garden, but no zucchini this year — my 12-year-old agriculturist has planted peppers and tomatoes! (Garden recipes for those coming soon.)
If you’ve been following my recipes for a while, you know one of my boys has Celiac Disease, which is why I make so many cookies and other desserts sans gluten.
He told me last night that this Chocolate Zucchini Cake is his new favorite. And he’s a tough crowd, so I know you and your friends and family will love it too!
- 1 cup (2 sticks) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, divided
- ⅔ cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, sifted, divided
- 1½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2¾ cups grated zucchini
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and adjust a rack to the center.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the melted butter to a 10-inch bundt pan and move it around and so it's completely coated. (Using a pastry brush or your hands will help.) Then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder as evenly as possible over the butter. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the remaining ⅔ cup cocoa powder, gluten-free flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir until everything is evenly incorporated and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt together. Mix on high until it's a thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Once it's blended add the sour cream and mix until it's smooth.
- Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing just until everything is well incorporated.
- Now fold in the remaining 1 cup melted butter.
- Use your hands to "ring out" the zucchini, to remove some of the liquid -- only what seems to drip off easily. Fold the zucchini into the batter and then immediately pour into the prepared bunt pan.
- Place in the preheated 350 degree F oven until the cake no longer jiggles when the pan is moved, and it's starting to crack on top, about 35 minutes.
- Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert it on a large platter. Let it cool for about an hour before serving.
Great way to sneak veggies into desserts! Bet it’s hard to tell there’s zucchini in there. 🙂
Yes, you really don’t taste the zucchini, it just adds to the super soft texture. Thanks! 🙂
I can’t believe I still haven’t had zuchinni chocolate cake, i have even made eggplant bread so this seems unnatural that I haven’t tried yet. This is going up on my To-do – now list
Okay, well now eggplant bread is on my list! That sounds so intriguing! Thanks! 🙂
Wow, this looks amazing.
I have to be one to admit that I am so afraid of making things gluten free because most of the time it turns out to be way too dense, but this looks perfect!
If your son likes it, I’m sure I will too!
~Krysten
You will! I know what you meant about GF dense baked goods.This is the opposite. Thanks for visiting! 🙂
Oh wow! Would you look at that luscious cake! I’m so excited that it is gluten free as my dear old Daddums is Coeliac and it’s a minefield trying to bake for him. Great idea to make this a courgette cake – the moisture will definitely be a good thing in a GF cake. Does it last well if you have leftovers?
Yes, leftovers are great. Just had some tonight. 😉 (I leave it out, wrapped tightly in foil. And after a couple of days, it goes in the fridge — not that there’s anything left at that point.) 🙂
Such a glorious looking texture, it is almost reminiscent of an English ‘pudding’ rather than a cake, definitely my kinda thing 🙂
Thanks so much, Brian! Hope you give it a go. 🙂
What a beautifully moist looking cake. I do love sweet treats that use vegetables. It gives them a big positive tick with the hidden veggie value 😉
Thanks so much, Sara! I totally agree!
The pictures of this cake are stunning, and even though it’s 92 with a heat index of 102 outdoors, I’m going to bite the bullet and make this, using my oven/stove for the first time in three days!
Hi John, thanks so much! Turn of the fan and go for it. I hope you love it as much as we do. 😀
It looks moist and perfect and chocolatey…
oh it is! thanks, David! xo