Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Impossibly easy and moist gluten free chocolate zucchini cake recipe mixes together in one bowl, versatile as a sheet or layer cake, and has a rich velvety frosting to make this one of best zucchini desserts ever!

Best gluten-free zucchini cake!

Since summer means either an abundance of zucchini in the garden or farmer’s market, I am no stranger to making my fair share of gluten free zucchini recipes. This chocolate zucchini cake has been deemed as one of the best gluten free dessert recipes because, when serving, I’m the only one who knows it’s GF!

Ingredients needed

Just like my gluten-free chocolate cake recipe or vanilla gluten-free cupcakes, the ingredients are simple and readily available in many home cooks’ kitchens. It requires three cups of grated zucchini, which equals about 2 medium zucchini.

Flour – My preferred brand of gluten free all-purpose flour is Cup 4 Cup, but King Arthur Measure-for-Measure also performs well. Both of these flour mixes do contain xanthan gum.

Sugar – Granulated sugar builds the structure in the cake, so it may be reduced slightly, but no more than 1/2 cup.

Eggs – The recipe requires four eggs, which is more than typical cake recipes. This helps with lift and structure. Since zucchini recipes can be dense due to extra moisture, adding an additional egg or two offsets this.

Oil – Like gluten free zucchini bread, oil works better than butter in zucchini recipes. It requires no creaming or mixing, and the neutral flavor helps the chocolate shine through.

Sour Cream – To reduce the amount of oil needed in the cake, I added 1/3 cup sour cream. If you need a dairy free gluten free recipe, simply substitute 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce or use 1/3 cup more oil.

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – If you love a darker chocolate flavor use dutch-processed cocoa powder for the cake and chocolate frosting. For most chocolate cake recipes, including gluten-free chocolate cupcakes, natural and dutch processed cocoa powder may be used interchangeably, as long as there is baking powder in the recipe.

How to make Gluten-free zucchini cake

(Note: This is a step-by-step tutorial with pictures. For more specific instructions, along with ingredient amounts, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

1. First whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. If using a mixer, mix on low speed until combined.
2. Next add the eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix well using a mixer on medium speed. The batter will be very thick.
3. Fold in the grated zucchini and mini chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
4. Pour in a greased 9X13-inch pan (see recipe notes for layer cake instructions), and bake at 350ºF for 50-60 minutes.
5. Cool the cake completely before spreading on the easy chocolate frosting.

zucchini cake frosting

Included with the cake recipe is an easy chocolate frosting with a touch of sour cream added for a bit of tanginess. However, there are other options to slather on zucchini cake!

• Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream
• Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
• Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream
• Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from 4th of July Brownies

should grated zucchini be dried first?

Larger zucchini contains more moisture, so like in gluten-free zucchini cookies, you may want to squeeze some of the moisture out of the grated zucchini using paper towels before adding. If it is a very large zucchini, the seeds may also be scraped out before grating.

However, if you are using small or medium zucchini, do not squeeze it out before adding or you will have a dry cake!

adding chocolate chips

If you want to keep the cake dairy free, save calories, or don’t have any on hand, the chocolate chips may be omitted.

I use mini chocolate chips because they do not sink to the bottom of the cake. Plus, they disperse evenly, leaving little burst of melted chocolate throughout.

layer cake adaptions

Instead of sheet cake baked in a 9X13-inch pan, it may be poured into two 9-inch cake pans, but they need to be at least 2-inches high. The cake rises pretty high and you don’t want to make a mess in your oven!

The cake layers will have a much shorter baking time, about 25-30 minutes, rotating halfway through. Insert a toothpick in the middle to make sure it is cooked through.

dairy-free modifications

If you need a dairy free gluten free cake, simply substitute 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce or use 1/3 cup more oil for the sour cream. Omit the chocolate chips or use dairy-free chocolate chips instead.

For the frosting, replace the butter with plant-based butter sticks, such as Earth Balance, but omit the salt in the recipe. Forgo the sour cream and add an additional tablespoon of dairy free milk.

storing and freezing

After cooling and frosting, store gluten free zucchini cake covered, at room temperature, up to 3 days. Do not refrigerate the cake because it will dry it out.

To freeze, place the cake in the freezer until the frosting is solid. Then, wrap securely in plastic wrap and finish with a layer of foil. Leftover slices may also be frozen, individually wrapped in plastic wrap and places in a ziplock freezer bag.

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