Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

The ultimate in texture and flavor, this dark chocolate zucchini bundt cake with silky ganache glaze is a chocolate lover’s dream!

I’m always looking for new ways to use up the crazy amounts of zucchini that we have in the garden each year. One of our classic favorites is an easy zucchini cake with fudge sauce. It’s almost like a brownie and it’s amazing!

But this year I wanted to try something with a deeper, richer flavor. Chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. We took our roasted banana cake and made a few swaps to use up zucchini. And this gorgeous cake is the result.

Why you’ll love this cake:

Use your abundance of garden zucchini in something delicious. This recipe uses 3 cups.
100% from scratch.
It’s easy and makes a beautiful presentation.
The moistest cake you’ve ever had!
Triple chocolate flavor: cocoa powder, mini chocolate chips and chocolate ganache.

Why is zucchini used in baking?

Just as bananas, pumpkin or apples are used in baking, zucchini can be used too! It adds moisture to baked goods keeping them soft. Although zucchini doesn’t add flavor, it bulks up the cake adds nutrients.

Do you peel zucchini for cake?

You don’t have to peel zucchini for cake. You can if you’d like, or if you 100% don’t want any green showing, then peel away. However, we process our zucchini very small so you can’t see much green. That way you get the nutrients from the skin.

How to Make Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

You’ll need a 12 cup bundt cake pan to make this recipe. Use our cake release so that the cake comes out cleanly from the pan.

In a medium bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
To a large bowl, add the melted coconut oil, melted butter, light brown sugar and shredded zucchini. Whisk with a hand whisk until combined.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then whisk until completely incorporated.
Fold in the flour/cocoa powder mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. It’s OK to see some dry flour bits. Fold in the chocolate chips, ensuring all dry bits are incorporated into the flour. Be sure not to overmix.
Pour mixture into the prepared pan. Place pan in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes until a tester inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

It’s important to only leave the cake in the pan for about 5 minutes before turning it out to a wire rack to cool completely. The cake may stick if you leave it in the pan too long.

Make the chocolate ganache.

There is a really simple way to make chocolate ganache…in the microwave!

Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Melt in 10 or 15 second increments, stirring between each interval until the chocolate is smooth and shiny.

You’ll want to let the ganache sit for a few minutes to thicken before pouring it in on the cake or it will all run off. We let ours sit for 5-10 minutes until we can tell it will drizzle well.

slice of chocolate zucchini cake on a plate

5 from 5 votes

The ultimate in texture and flavor, this dark chocolate zucchini bundt cake with silky ganache glaze is a chocolate lover's dream!

Servings 12

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Ingredients

For the chocolate cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour (lightly spooned, then measured)
1 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder (lightly spooned, then measured)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
3 cups shredded zucchini
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips

For the chocolate ganache:

1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Make the cake:

Heat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan with shortening, then dust with flour. Set aside.
In a medium bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
To a large bowl, add the melted coconut oil, melted butter, light brown sugar and shredded zucchini. Whisk with a hand whisk until combined.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then whisk until completely incorporated.
Fold in the flour/cocoa powder mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. It’s OK to see some dry flour bits. Fold in the chocolate chips, ensuring all dry bits are incorporated into the flour. Be sure not to overmix.
Pour mixture into the prepared pan. Place pan in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes until a tester inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Invert the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Melt in 10 or 15 second increments, stirring between each interval until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. Pour over the cooled cake.
Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 12 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**