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You are here: Home / Sweets / Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake

August 8, 2018 By Spices in My DNA 6 Comments

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This Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake is incredibly moist, filled with rich dark chocolate flavor, and topped with a fluffy dark chocolate swiss meringue buttercream. The zucchini is absolutely undetectable, but it lends the best texture to the cake. Perfect for using up all of the late summer zucchini!

(This post is sponsored by Chocolove! Thank you so so much for reading and supporting the brands that I love!)

Forward facing shot of a chocolate cake with a slice being pulled out from the left side

This is truly the best chocolate cake I’ve EVER made and you’d never ever know there was zucchini in it! It’s kind of crazy how undetectable it is. It completely disintegrates into the cake and just creates the most perfect, moist, chocolatey, delicious cake. It’s dangerously good!

Overhead shot of a chocolate cake topped with a sunflower and small white flowers

Zucchini baked goods are one of my favorite things to make. It creates the best texture and you get your veggies in at the same time!

Chocolate cake with veggies in it that you can’t even taste?

Count me in!

It’s so rich and chocolate and perfect, thanks to my absolute favorite chocolate – Chocolove. It’s rich, velvety, smooth, and melts perfectly into baked goods. And it’s perfect for snacking too, of course! 😉

Overhead shot of chocolate buttercream being spread on a dark chocolate cake layer

My very favorite part of this cake is the swiss meringue buttercream. Chocolate swiss meringue buttercream, in fact. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s made by cooking sugar and egg whites together over a double boiler, and then whipping them until fluffy, then adding butter, and whipping some more until it comes together into the most amazing, light, fluffy, silky buttercream.

Overhead shot of a bowl filled with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream and a white mixing paddle in the bowl

I love it so much more than regular buttercream, and I’m not really a frosting person at all. But swiss meringue buttercream?! Totally another story.

And the melted Chocolove chocolate added to it?

Game changer.

I’ve only ever made a brown sugar version for this cake, and that was incredible, but this chocolate version is my absolute fave.

Speaking of cakes and swiss meringue buttercream, I’m actually making one of my best friend’s wedding cake this week! SO excited and slightly nervous too. I’ll definitely be sharing more on Instagram this week!

Overhead close up shot of chocolate buttercream being spread on a dark chocolate cake layer

I mean just look at this goodness. 😍

Overhead close up shot of a piece of chocolate cake being taken out from the cake

Another thing about this cake that I love, is that it’s not overly sweet. The rich dark chocolate flavor really shines, and I love that. It’s rich, but light. From the zucchini and the fluffy swiss meringue!

Forward facing shot of a 3 layer chocolate cake topped with a sunflower and small white flowers and a napkin and a zucchini in the background

Seriously my idea of the perfect cake. It’s not hard to make AT ALL, and it seems really impressive.

If you make this for guests, I guarantee no one would have any idea there was grated zucchini in it. Not just a little, but 2 whole cups!

So crazy.

Close up shot of a piece of chocolate cake with light chocolate frosting

Just look at that texture! Completely undetectable zucchini-ness.

If you have a ton of leftover zucchini from the garden and you’re sick of making zoodles and other healthy things, you HAVE to try this.

And simultaneously feel good about yourself for eating chocolate cake and vegetables at the same time.

Close up shot of a piece of chocolate cake with the full later cake in the background on a black cake stand

Right?!

Overhead shot of a slice of chocolate cake with bites taken out of it with a gold fork resting on the black plate

I truly can’t say enough good things about this cake. You just have to make it!

Forward facing shot of a chocolate cake with a slice being pulled out from the left side
Print

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake is incredibly moist, filled with rich dark chocolate flavor, and topped with a fluffy dark chocolate swiss meringue buttercream. The zucchini is absolutely undetectable, but it lends the best texture to the cake. Perfect for using up all of the late summer zucchini!

Course Cake, Dessert
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 10 -12
Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 (3.2 ounce) bar Chocolove 70% dark chocolate, melted and cooled*
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 cups grated zucchini

For the chocolate swiss meringue buttercream

  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter
  • 3 bars (9.6 ounces) Chocolove 70% dark chocolate, melted and cooled*
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease and flour three 8'' cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.

  2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar and whisk until smooth. Add the vegetable oil, melted and cooled chocolate, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and buttermilk and whisk until combined. Add the zucchini and mix with a rubber spatula until combined.

  3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined. Pour the batter evenly into the pans and smooth out the tops with a spatula. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes, then remove them from the pans and let cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack.

For the chocolate swiss meringue buttercream

  1.  In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg whites until smooth and combined. Place bowl over a pan of boiling water, (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water!), and cook until sugar has dissolved, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed for 8-10 minutes, until mixture is cool. (You can touch the bottom of the bowl to test temperature). Switch to the paddle attachment and increase the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form, another couple of minutes. Gradually add the butter, 2-3 tablespoons at a time, and beat until smooth. Add the cooled melted chocolate and vanilla and beat until smooth and combined.

To assemble the cake

  1. To assemble the cake, place one layer on a serving plate, and spread the top with buttercream. Top with another layer and spread top with buttercream. Top with the third layer and spread with another layer of buttercream, leaving a little bit left for the sides of the cake. Use the leftover buttercream to "half" frost the sides, to create a "semi-naked" effect. Use an offset spatula or bench scraper to smooth out the sides of the cake. Use the back of a spoon to create the fluffy/swirled effect on top. Cut into slices and serve!

Recipe Notes

*You can either melt the chocolate over a double boiler, or melt it in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until melted. Be sure not to overheat the chocolate, or it will seize up!
*The cake layers can be made ahead of time up to 2 days, and kept covered until ready to use. The buttercream is best made day-of!

buttercream adapted from martha.

Overhead shot of a piece of chocolate cake on a black plate with a fork resting on the plate and a chocolate bar next to it

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Filed Under: Sweets Tagged With: cake, chocolate, dark chocolate, dessert, layer cake, summer, swiss meringue, zucchini

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kasey Goins

    August 8, 2018 at 8:52 am

    This is seriously one GORGEOUS chocolate cake! I Just want to dig right in! Have fun with your friend’s wedding cake!! That sounds amazing!

    Reply
    • Spices in My DNA

      August 8, 2018 at 11:47 am

      Thank you SO much Kasey!! And thank you!! I’m really excited/nervous about it! I’ll be sure to post some pics on Insta stories 🙂

      Reply
  2. Natalie

    August 10, 2018 at 12:58 am

    5 stars
    This cake looks absolutely divine! So festive and perfect for birthdays too!

    Reply
    • Spices in My DNA

      August 12, 2018 at 5:14 pm

      Thank you so much Natalie!!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Wallflower Weekly Finds, 179 - Cooking with a Wallflower says:
    August 10, 2018 at 3:03 am

    […] you believe that this pretty cake is a dark chocolate zucchini cake? Does that mean it’s healthy and I can eat as much as I […]

    Reply
  2. Coffee + Convo says:
    September 16, 2018 at 7:38 am

    […] Dark chocolate zucchini cake: No one will know they’re eating vegetables. […]

    Reply

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