Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze is so moist and decadent that nobody will ever guess that it's made with a pound of zucchini and 100% whole wheat flour! Or bake it in loaf pans instead for Chocolate Zucchini Bread.

Zucchini Fudge Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze with text overlay.

I promised y'all one last zucchini recipe this season, and today I'm going to deliver in a BIG way. Say hello to Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze! Or if that's too indulgent, you can instead decide to bake up this bad boy in two loaf pans, leave off the glaze (but why would you want to?!), and call it (Triple) Chocolate Zucchini Bread. It's up to you!

Either way, this concoction is so moist and fudgy and decadent that when you take a bite, you'll have a hard time remembering that you shredded up a whole pound of zucchini to fold into the batter. And did I mention that this recipe also includes 100% whole wheat flour? By my estimation, those two factors mean that this cake could totally be justified as breakfast. 😉

Close-up of chocolate glaze.

The Inspiration

I've been going in a savory direction with my zucchini recipes so far this summer, so I decided it was high time to use up some of our excess zucchini by appealing to the ol' sweet tooth for a change.

My first thought was to bake a zucchini version of my Triple Chocolate Banana Bread. But I knew I wanted to make a glazed Bundt cake instead. And of course, my Toddler-Approved Veggie Surprise Mini Muffins would be a good source to reference when coming up with any variation of zucchini bread.

So basically, today's Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake is a conglomeration of those three ideas. The best part is that it turned out even better than I could have hoped!

Prepping the Zucchini

If you look closely, this deep brown Bundt cake is peppered with tiny green fragments of zucchini peel. The chocolate flavor is intense enough that my kids couldn't care less, but if you think your little ones might be suspicious of miniscule green bits in their cake, feel free to peel your zucchini before shredding it.

Regardless of whether or not you retain the peel, any time I add shredded zucchini to baked goods, I like to mix it with a couple spoonfuls of sugar and let it sit in a colander for a few minutes before adding it to my batter, which allows excess liquid to drain off.

Slice of Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake on white plate.

A Few Ingredient Notes

Other than that, this recipe is pretty straightforward.

I like to make it with whole wheat pastry flour for an extra dose of wholesome without the heavy texture that can result from using regular whole wheat flour, but you can certainly use white flour if you prefer.

The batter includes melted unsweetened chocolate as well as cocoa powder as well as chocolate chips.

And then, of course, there's that rich, glossy, chocolate glaze!

Close-up of sliced Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake on platter.

Greasing Your Pan

One word of warning before you get to baking...this Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake is so moist and chocolate-studded that if you're not careful, it can stick to your pan.

So precaution #1 is spraying your Bundt pan with a thick layer of non-stick baking spray...and I highly recommend the kind that has flour included (like Baker's Joy). I'm typically a grease-my-pan-with-real-butter-and-coat-with-flour kind of gal, but this sticky cake requires the big guns to ensure that it releases from the pan.

Recommended Chocolate Chips

Another precaution I recommend is using mini chocolate chips (they aren't as heavy as regular chocolate chips and won't sink to the bottom of the pan as readily) and coating them with flour before adding them to the batter (which also helps suspend them throughout the cake).

Cooling Time

Finally, be sure to allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack...no more, no less.

Close-up of slice of Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake on plate.

I'm going to confess now that I was out of mini chocolate chips the other day when I made this cake, and as a result, I went ahead and used full-sized chips. Well, when I went to turn my Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake out of the pan, it didn't release! 🙁 So I took a thin, flexible spatula and carefully ran it down the sides of the pan all the way around, trying to bend it under the curve of the pan as far as I could reach. Luckily, that did the trick, and only one small spot stuck where a few chocolate chips had conglomerated.

So don't be like me! Follow the directions, right down the mini chocolate chips, and your cake should come out of the pan nicely.

And if you decide to bake this recipe in loaf pans instead of a Bundt pan, use a couple strips of parchment paper to line your pans (similar to how I did for this bread) to double ensure that there's no sticking.

However, the good news is that nobody's ever going to know whether you had a stuck spot or not under that thick, gorgeous glaze. 😉

Enjoy, friends!

Aerial view of Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze.

More Zucchini Recipes

Sliced Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze on platter.

Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze is so moist and decadent that nobody will ever guess that it's concealing a pound of zucchini and 100% whole wheat flour! Or if you prefer, you can bake it in two loaf pans and leave off the glaze to call it Chocolate Zucchini Bread instead.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 533kcal
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

  • 1 pound zucchini
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • ½ cup applesauce
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tablespoon flour

FOR THE GLAZE:

  • ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE:

  • Adjust rack to center position of oven and preheat to 350°F. Generously coat a 9- to 10-inch (12-cup) Bundt pan with baking spray (the kind that includes flour).
  • Using a box grater or food processor, grate the zucchini (you should end up with approximately 3 cups). Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and place in a large colander set over a bowl. As you prepare the rest of the batter ingredients, the sugar will draw the moisture out of the zucchini. Occasionally press down on it to squeeze more water into the bowl.
  • Finely chop unsweetened chocolate, place in a bowl, and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds; stir. Heat in additional 15-second increments, stirring after each one, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Allow to cool.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend together eggs, sugar, melted chocolate, melted butter, applesauce, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in drained zucchini. Turn mixer down to low and stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by all of the sour cream and then the remaining flour mixture. In a small bowl, toss mini chocolate chips with tablespoon of flour. Add to batter and mix until just incorporated, taking care not to overbeat.
  • Evenly pour/spread batter into prepared pan, place in preheated oven, and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cake from the oven and allow it to rest on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before turning it out onto the rack to finish cooling.

FOR THE GLAZE:

  • In a small pot, melt butter over low heat. Remove pot from heat and add chocolate chips, stirring until they are melted and combined with butter. Stir in corn syrup and vanilla until smooth. Immediately pour glaze over warm cake, gently spreading it so that it trickles down sides. Allow cake and glaze to cool completely before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 246mg | Potassium: 389mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 6.9mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 3.2mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

 

Glaze adapted from AllRecipes.com.
Post originally published on July 12, 2014.

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29 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hi Samantha! This looks AMAZING! Quick question, How firm is the glaze? is it like what you would get on a glazed donut?

    1. Hi Wendell! I'd say this glaze is slightly thicker than what's typically found on a chocolate glazed donut. It sets up nicely but it doesn't harden. Hope that helps! 🙂

    1. Hi Janet! I'd use two 9" x 5" loaf pans to make sure you don't have any overflow, and I'd probably start checking for doneness around 40 or 45 minutes. The loaves may require a bit longer than that to be done, but it's better to check early and be sure they don't overcook. 🙂

  2. I've had my cake in the oven basically two hours now and its still not cook, and I've taken it out, cooled it and tried to turn it over and the top came off. It just won't cook. Help!

    1. I'm so sorry to hear that, Megan! I'm not sure what went wrong, since there can be so many variables with baking. It definitely should have cooked after two hours, so something clearly went wrong, but I apologize that I don't have enough information to tell you what. Hope that it set up a bit more after cooling and that it tasted okay even if the top came off. 🙁

  3. just took my 2 loaves of chocolate zucchini bread out of the oven. didn't have a bundt so used the adapted recipe. can't wait to taste them, and thank you for the recipe. my daughter brought zuchinni from her garden and it was the usual "what do I do with it"?
    I read your home page. congratulations on getting your blog started.

    1. Thanks so much for the kind comment, Ellen! Zucchini can really take over a garden, can't it? I love it, but I'm always trying to come up with new ways to use it up. This might be my favorite zucchini recipe yet... 😉 I hope you've been enjoying your chocolate zucchini bread and that you're having a wonderful week! 🙂

  4. This bundt cake looks so chocolatey and amazing! I love zucchini with chocolate, but this really takes the cake! 🙂

    1. Ha, Marcie...'taking the cake' was totally my goal with this one! 😉 Seriously, though, thank you for the kind words. I hope you enjoy this recipe if you have a chance to try it! 🙂

  5. What? One last recipe - zucchini season is just starting for me!!! This cake sounds divine and I even have wheat pastry flour in my pantry. I say keep the zucchini recipes coming 🙂

    1. Ha, Jenn! Well, I've got to make room for my tomato and peach and cucumber recipes as well, so I'm forced to spread out the zucchini love from year to year. 😉 But I do have a few more zucchini recipes already on the site (just search 'zucchini') in case you have a bumper crop this year and are looking for new ways to enjoy it. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

  6. Yummers! This looks delish, Samantha! Thank you bunches for linking up and partying with us this week! Pinning this!

    1. Thank you so much for the sweet comment and the pin, Kristi! I always love linking up with y'all. 🙂 Happy Friday...have a fabulous weekend!

    1. I apologize, Jennie...I'm going through comments and I don't know how I missed this one! Thanks so much for the invite to your party...I'm taking a link party hiatus as we finish up our summer vacation-ing, but I'll definitely keep your party in mind once I get back to my usual schedule. 😉

  7. Looks amazing! Great way to use up zucchini! stopping by from the weekend Re-Treat link party.

    1. Thanks so much, Mallory! I totally agree...any way to use up zucchini that involves chocolate is just fine by me. 😉 Thanks for stopping by...hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    1. Thanks so much, Sherry! Hard to believe there's zucchini in there when you taste it. 😉 Hope you have a chance to try it...I really appreciate you stopping by! 🙂

  8. Believe it or not, thanks to a crazy-short growing season, our zucchini hasn't come on yet, but as soon as it does, I'm making this cake!

    1. I'm so glad you'll be armed with recipes by the time your zucchini finally arrives...some years, it seems like it all hits at once, doesn't it?! I hope your family enjoys this cake when you try it...it sure didn't last long around here! 😉

    1. Thanks, Matt! It's nice to eat something so decadent and chocolatey and know that there are actual vitamins in there! 😉