Chocolate Zucchini Cake

It's zucchini time!! And what lovely things you can make from all that bounty. Deep-Fried Zucchini, Skeeny Eggs (do you want that recipe??), zucchini in soups and egg rolls and Spicy Sweet Teriyaki Noodles, Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Muffins, Zucchini Cookies and....

this amazing...

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup oil

1 cup flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

Put shredded zucchini in a colander. Sprinkle with salt. Allow to weep and drain.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar and mix well. Stir in oil. 

Add flour, cocoa and soda. Mix well.

Cover zucchini with paper towels and press down to remove as much moisture as possible.

Stir zucchini and chocolate chips into batter.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish or pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

This cake is moist and delicious enough to just sprinkle with powdered sugar and scarf it down. However, if you desire some fabulous frosting, this one is a winner.

Chocolate Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 16-ounce package powdered sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

5 to 7 tablespoons milk

Beat butter, vanilla and salt until creamy. Add powdered sugar and cocoa. Add about 3 tablespoons of milk and continue mixing. Continue to add milk, one tablespoon at a time until the frosting is smooth and creamy, and is the consistency that you like.

Frost cake and serve.

Is a 9 x 13-inch cake too much cake at your house? Even after you feed your family, is there cake left over and it ends up in the garbage? (I know, I know, some of you are laughing hysterically at the thought of too much cake. But the truth is a full recipe cake is just too much cake for some.) 

I have a solution!!!

Make the entire recipe but don't pour it into a big cake pan. Pour the batter into the size of pan(s) that you desire. I made a double batch of the cake batter and poured it into all these pans. You can get 9 different sizes of these pans here!! One small glass dish for us now, and disposable foil baking pans for later. The small ones are 4 x 5 inches. The others are 5 x 7 inches and 6 x 8 inches. How much to pour in? Fill the pan no more than half full.

You can bake them all, frost them and then label and attach the lids and freeze. You'll want to eat your cakes within about 6 weeks. When you are ready for cake, just take one or more out of the freezer and allow to thaw. If you freeze them unfrosted, just dust with powdered sugar or frost and serve.


I sent cute little pans of cake, like the one on top shown here, with my daughter when she went back to Utah State University. She can keep them in her freezer until she wants some fresh homemade cake. I keep some just like it at home for Sam.

OR you can freeze the batter. Pour the batter into greased pans. Label and attach the lid and freeze. When you are ready to bake, bring one or more out of the freezer and pop in the oven. I put mine in the oven as soon as I turn it on. I leave the lid on while the oven heats to 350. When the oven "dings" and tells me the oven is heated, I remove the lid and set the timer for the normal 25 minutes. (I set it for 5 minutes less if it's a smaller pan). If your batter is thawed, the baking time will be the same. HOWEVER, remember that if a 9 x 13-inch pan takes about 30 minutes to bake, a smaller pan will take less time to bake. Be sure to check your cake(s) after about 20 minutes, depending on how big your pan(s) are.

Sometimes I divide the batter between 2 pans. Other times I divide the batter into a small family size and some individual serving size. How marvelous it is to bake a tiny little cake, just enough for one or two. No preparation, no clean up, no leftovers. I love it.

 I used my husband as a guinea pig and did a taste test. I put two pieces of cake on a plate. One was a cake that was baked, frosted and frozen. The other was a cake made from frozen batter that was baked (from frozen), then frosted. He ate a bite of each. I asked him which he liked better. He said that the second bite he ate was better...because it had a chocolate chip in it!! Otherwise, he said he could not tell the difference. 


You really can't tell the difference. This cake turns out moist and delicious whether you bake it and eat it today, freeze the cake (even frosted!!) for later, or freeze the batter and bake it later. How marvelous to freeze little cakes to thaw and eat whenever you desire. Fresh, yummy cake, in any quantity that suits you. Feed the family or just a single serving.


Oh. And no one will believe there is zucchini in this cake. No one.