Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake
This old fashioned recipe for Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake is the perfect use for summer zucchini! It’s light and moist, with plenty of chocolate flavor.
“Your cake is my new favorite!” -Patty
August 8 is “Sneak Some Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Day”. Yes, that’s really a holiday!
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake is the perfect cake to make should any zucchini make its way to your doorstep (or garden, or farmer’s market). It’s a a tender, moist, and light chocolate cake, made with a full two cups of zucchini (no need to wring it out first!) and topped with semi-sweet chocolate chips.
I found this recipe in a 1980s cookbook, but a reader named Kathy told me that a friend shared this recipe with her in the 1970s. It’s a fantastic way to enjoy late summer zucchini, or any season you find yourself with some zucchini, frankly. I personally love it with a cup of coffee or tea for a mid-afternoon treat.
Here are a few other recipes that I love for zucchini season:
- Banana Bread with Zucchini
- Tomato Zucchini Casserole
- Bisquick Zucchini Casserole
- Grandma’s Zucchini Muffins
- Easy Ground Beef and Zucchini Casserole
Some of the links featured in this post are affiliate links to products I enjoy and recommend, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- This recipe uses both butter AND oil. Butter can sometimes overpower the flavor of chocolate, which is why I believe the original recipe creator used a mix of both.
- Buttermilk adds a slight tanginess to the cake that complements the sweetness from the sugar. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use a mixture of regular milk and an acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice (see the recipes notes below for how to do that).
- We’ll need a full two cups of shredded zucchini. Two small to medium sized zucchini will provide just that.
- A full cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips are sprinkled on top of the cake before baking. They sink just slightly into the cake and provide chocolate flavor with every bite.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake
- Start by shredding the zucchini on a box grater. I prefer the medium sized holes. No need to wring it out.
- Cream the butter, sugar, and oil until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, then alternate the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt) with the buttermilk. Stir in the zucchini.
- Pour into a 13×9-inch pan and top with the chocolate chips. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350°F.
Frequently Asked Questions
Zucchini cake can be frozen for up to three months. Seal it tightly in an airtight container before freezing. If you are freezing a whole cake, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before freezing.
You can store the cake either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. It will keep for slightly longer in the refrigerator. Keep it tightly covered for whichever storage method you choose.
Making Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with buttermilk is one of the reasons that this cake is so light and tender.
The acid interferes with gluten formation, so the recipe is more cake-like (fluffy) and less bread-like (dense). If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute regular milk + an acid such as vinegar or lemon juice.
I recommend using fresh zucchini for this recipe. Frozen zucchini can release too much water into the batter when it thaws, making a watery cake.
Serving suggestions
This cake is fantastic on its own, but here are a few ideas for serving, if you want to jazz it up!
- Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top
- Dollop some homemade whipped cream on top
- Add ½ cup chopped walnuts along with the chocolate chips before baking
- Serve it cold from the fridge (I love it this way) or warm (give each slice 10–15 seconds in the microwave)—I recommend warming it up if you’re adding ice cream on top!
More chocolate cake recipes
- Wacky Cake Recipe
- Easy Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
- Mississippi Mud Cake with Cake Mix
- Turtle Cake
- Ding Dong Cake with Cake Mix
- Dr. Pepper Cake
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2½ cups flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup buttermilk or sour milk
- 2 cups grated zucchini (no need to drain)
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Grease a 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place the butter, oil, and sugar in a large bowl. Cream on medium speed with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat to combine.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Stir to combine. Stir in the milk and zucchini, just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake for 28–33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
This was my Grandma’s recipe and I love to make this. I note that your “How to make…” says bake at 350. But in your recipe section you say 325. I think 350 is correct. We followed the 325 and the middle was jiggly.
Thank you for catching that, Lori!
I grew up eating and then making this cake in the 70s, but lost the recipe. My original recipe also had cinnamon and cloves along with the addition of chopped nuts with the chocolate chips on top. I will be making this for our beach trip. Thank you!
Love those additions! I’m so glad you found the recipe, and thanks for commenting. Enjoy your trip!
Hi can I equally substitute with gluten free flour?
I haven’t tried it to know if it’ll work—sorry!
Your cake is my new favorite! I did cut it in half and used an 8″ pan. I followed your recipe exactly the 1st time and it was yummy but not as chocolate tasting as I like. Two days later I made it again but increased the cocoa powder to 1/4th cup for the 8″ size. I also added 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips directly to the batter and sprinkled more on top. YUMMY!! I will definitely be making this often!! It’s perfect without frosting which is a bonus! I’ll sprinkle a design with powdered sugar if I bring it to an event just to dress it up. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!!
Thank you so much for your nice review, Patty! And for your tips on making it more chocolate-y (always a good thing!). I’m so glad that you enjoyed it.
I have made this cake many times through the last 20 years or more. It is moist and delicious! The only variation I use is add peanut butter chips on top with the chocolate chips. The last several years I have started making cup cakes, they are so much easier to eat and freeze great!
So smart!! I’m trying both of these ideas. Thanks for sharing, Linda!