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Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

This Chocolate Zucchini Cake with cream cheese glaze is the perfect delicious answer to the question of what to do with a bumper crop of one of summer’s most plentiful vegetables.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze photo of uncut cake on a white plate

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze.

Originally published September 2012.

It never fails; at this time of year I always get requests for recipes from folks who need ideas to use up the bumper crop of zucchini from their backyard gardens.

This Chocolate Zucchini Cake is my latest answer.

I am not a fan of the cucumber cousin myself but with such a neutral flavour they do lend themselves well to certain  baked goods.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Stock photo of a growing zucchini plant

A bumper crop of zucchini.

Zucchini breads, loves and muffins are pretty prevalent out there right now. That’s great, because the grated vegetable can add much appreciated moistness and a little extra nutrition to these baked treats.

I wanted to up the ante on zucchini baking with something a little more indulgent and came up with this moist delicious chocolate cake. The cream cheese glaze looks great on this dark chocolate dessert cake too, but not nearly as good as it tastes as a compliment to the tender delicious cake.

Sifting the cocoa as well

Use the best quality cocoa and sift it into the flour to remove lump. 

So there’s my contribution to the counter attack against the zucchini invasion. You’re welcome!

Love homemade cakes from scratch? We’ve put together a collection of the 25 Most Baked Cakes of the last 12 years on Rock Recipes. You are sure to find several to love.

Top Ten cake recipes photo collage with title text for Pinterest

Like this Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipe?

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Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze photo of uncut cake on a white plate
Yield: 16 servings

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

This chocolate zucchini cake is the perfect answer to the question of what to do with that bumper crop of one of summers most plentiful vegetables.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 2 1/4 cups cake flour, regular flour will work well too in a pinch
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • pinch salt
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 large egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 cups grated zucchini

For the Cream Cheese Glaze

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, (1/2 cup)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, icing sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • a little milk

Instructions

  1. Grease well and dust with cocoa powder, a standard size bundt pan (or two 8 inch cake pans) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla until fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk.
  6. Always begin and end with the dry ingredients. With the last addition of dry ingredients fold in the grated zucchini.Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about 40-50 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 8 inch cake pans take about 25-30 minutes.
  7. Cool in the pans for a few minutes before turning the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely . Top with cream cheese glaze.

To make the Cream Cheese Glaze

  1. Beat ingredients together until smooth. If you think the glaze is too thick, add a teaspoon or two of milk. If it gets too thin, add a little more icing sugar.
  2. Spoon over the cooled bundt cake and let it fall naturally down the sides.
  3. If making this as a layer cake, I recommend using the frosting from our Red Velvet Cake. Find that recipe here.

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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    Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

    Nutrition Information

    Yield

    16

    Serving Size

    g

    Amount Per Serving Calories 332Saturated Fat 6gCholesterol 54mgSodium 263mgCarbohydrates 57gFiber 1gSugar 41gProtein 5g

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    Eleanor Nicholson

    Friday 15th of July 2016

    I love this recipe. All of your recipes are delicious.

    Heather

    Sunday 24th of August 2014

    Thanks for the oven temp don't know if I missed it the first time or it 2 as posted after. Also I'm looking for the list/amounts of ingredients for the icing. Thanks :)

    Heather

    Friday 22nd of August 2014

    Not sure what temperature to put oven on, the recipe doesn't say. ? 350

    Anonymous

    Wednesday 31st of October 2012

    What temperature do I set the oven for?

    Anonymous

    Sunday 7th of October 2012

    Delicious! Made it for work and told one colleague that it had zucchini in it...he kinda screwed up his face so I didn't tell the others, and they gobbled it up and loved it! I told them afterwards that it had zucchini in it and they agreed it gave it a delicious texture and moistness. Yum yum!

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