Fluffy Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cake
This one-bowl zucchini chocolate chip cake recipe is so fluffy and moist. You can leave out the chocolate chips for a simple, tasty cake!
One of my favorite parts of summer (and summer baking) is utilizing all the zucchini coming out of my garden. Enter this zucchini chocolate chip cake. It is quick and easy and so, so good!
One-Bowl Zucchini Cake Recipe
This cake is quickly and easily whipped up in one bowl. You don’t even need an electric mixer. Just get in there with a whisk or spatula.
A couple notes of particular importance:
- finely shred the zucchini (large shreds of zucchini can make the cake gummy-textured)
- you don’t need to wring any liquid out of the zucchini before using, however if the zucchini has been shredded in advance and a lot of liquid has pooled at the bottom, discard that liquid before using
- add the chocolate chips with the dry ingredients (this helps prevent the chocolate chips from sinking while baking)
Chocolate Chips are Optional
Yes, it pains me to admit that, because chocolate chips are life’s most glorious sustenance, however, it is true.
While this fluffy zucchini cake is phenomenal with chocolate chips, it’s also tremendously delicious without.
Sans chocolate chips, the subtle warmth of the cinnamon highlights how homey and delightful this cake really is.
No Frosting Necessary
During recipe testing, I made this cake four or five times with several different alterations to get it just right. One of the trials was frosting the cake with a whipped cream cheese frosting.
The frosting? Divine.
The cake? Exceptional.
Together? It just didn’t work.
Cream cheese frosting overpowers the delectable, simple cake and doesn’t jive overly well with the chocolate chips in the mix. This cake really is best plain and simple or with a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Plus, without frosting, it seemed highly acceptable to eat this cake for breakfast (and dinner…and any time in between).
This ultra-simple zucchini chocolate chip cake is a winner. My daughter declared it her new favorite dessert and begged me to remember to make it for her birthday next April. 😉
If you’ve had this stellar chocolate zucchini cake, you’ll love this chocolate chip version. I took all the best notes of that chocolate cake recipe in order to make this chocolate chip zucchini cake optimally fluffy and delicious.
This zucchini cake is moist and tender and the perfect way to use up (or beg, steal or borrow) all the fresh zucchini flowing forth this time of year. I hope you love it!
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Fluffy Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (182 g) buttermilk (see note)
- ½ cup (98 g) neutral-flavored oil, like canola, vegetable, grapeseed
- 3 large (150 g) eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (253 g) finely shredded zucchini, about 2 medium zucchini (see note)
- 2 ¼ cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 to 1 ½ cups (170-255 g) semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
- Powdered sugar, for dusting and serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan (preferably a metal, light-colored pan) and set aside. If using a glass pan or a dark coated metal pan, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla until well-combined. Stir in the zucchini.
- Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips (if using), and mix until all the ingredients are evenly combined and the dry streaks disappear (don't over mix).
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch (adding time as needed, especially if using a glass pan and baking at a lower temperature).
- Let the cake cool completely. Cut into squares and serve. Optional: dust the top of the cake or individual pieces with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (modeled after this chocolate version)
Hi, im baking this now. But is the batter on tje thinner side??
It’s not super thin, but it’s probably on the thinner side of thick, if that makes sense.
Delicious! This is a light cake perfect for cutting small for a snack or dessert. Thanks for a recipe to use for the abundance of zucchini.
Happy you enjoyed it – thanks, Kimberly!
I was told this is “the moistest cake I’ve ever cut into”! A huge hit with both my family and my coworkers. Used greek yogurt instead of buttermilk and blueberries instead of chocolate chips. I will absolutely be making this again… and again.
Since there is no frosting, do you know if the cake will freeze well?
Yes, it should freeze great!
So yummy! Next time I think I’ll double the cinnamon since I didn’t taste it much. But everyone loved this one!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Bethany!
Just commenting as I know sometimes people ask if your recipes can be made gluten free and I’m confirming it was excellent made with Bobs Red Mill 1-1 Baking Flour! No other changes needed – it was really delicious!
That is so helpful, Gail! Thank you so much!
For some reason, my cake didn’t come out “fluffy,” and the chocolate chips sank to the bottom.
However, I will certainly make this again, because it’s EASY and DELICIOUS!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Esther! Was the texture overly dense?
I made this bread with yellow squash since we have had a bumper crop. It was so moist and delicious. A real keeper! Thank you, Mel.
Great feedback, thank you, Betty!
Whelp… started adding the dry ingredients and accidentally did 1 tsp baking POWDER instead of 1/4 tsp. Guess we’ll see what happens. 😑😣😥
Should work out just fine, I think!
Sorry I forgot to come back and comment. It turned out wonderfully! Phew! I looked up a bunch of things online and most were saying I should increase quantities to make up for it, it’d over-rise in the pan, or taste bitter, etc., so I was very nervous. But you were right — it was perfectly fine, and everyone loved it (even the kids that are my non-zucchini lovers). Thanks, Mel!
My goodness! i made this today and it is heavenly. It is just my husband and me, so the neighbors got a great treat tonight as well! Thank you for this great recipe!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Karen!
So good! I made it tonight and everyone loved it! Thank you!!
Yay, Sharon! Made me happy to read that!
Not sure what you mean by finely shredded. What side of a box grater do you use?
On my box grater, there are two shredding options – large shredding holes and smaller shredding holes, I use the smaller of the two shredding options.
This zucchini cake looks delicious however l cannot do dairy. Is there a substitute for the buttermilk?
Hi Dianne, do you have a favorite plain dairy-free yogurt? If so, I’d use that thinned with non-dairy milk. If not, you can try leaving it out and maybe reducing the flour a bit.