This double chocolate zucchini sheet cake is an effortless way to feed a crowd! No mixer required. Plus, your guests won’t even know there’s zucchini in the cake!
My goodness… It’s been delicious couple of weeks!
We’ve been feasting on this moist double chocolate zucchini cake non-stop for couple of weeks. If you follow me on snapchat (I’m shineshka over there, by the way), you know what I mean. Batch after batch, I tested multiple variations of this cake to land on the moistest, fluffiest and the most chocolate-y version.
Oh, the things I do under the name of recipe testing…
But not a single soul complained about it! In fact, my mother-in-law was happy that I was taking all of the zucchini off of her hand. (Ok, not all of them, because her garden did so well this year, as usual.) And cake kept disappearing in the matter of day or two. Actually Garrat and I would polish off half of the cake before taking it to the ranch.
That’s what happens when the cake is so fluffy and moist! Also, loaded with chocolate…
And guess what? It’s sooooo simple to make this cake. No mixer required, which means I can make it while my little munchkin naps. He hates when I make noise when he’s resting. 🙂
Anyway, let’s talk cake…
What makes this cake the moistest and fluffiest of all?
Short answer: brown sugar and lots of grated zucchini.
We’re adding tiny bit of brown sugar, but it sure does make a huge difference. And as for zucchini, you don’t need to squeeze excess moisture out, as some of the recipes I’ve seen. You want all the moisture in there, and I promise it won’t make the cake soggy.
To seal the deal, we’re going to frost the cake with light and tangy sour cream frosting.
Sure, we could have used cream cheese frosting, but that would have made the cake a bit too heavy. With soft and fluffy sour cream frosting, this cake is simply to die for!
Now run to your nearest farmer’s market for fresh zucchini and make this cake asap. You’re gonna love it! And if you try this recipe, please report back. 😉
Double Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For cake:
- 1 ½ cups 190gr all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup 60gr unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup 65gr light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 1 can 400gr sweetened condensed milk
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup 115gr unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups grated zucchini about 1lb zucchini
- 4 oz 115gr semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or ½ cup chocolate chips)
For frosting:
- 1 ½ cups 360ml sour cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray 9×13-inch (23x33cm) baking pan with a cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk sweetened condensed milk, eggs, butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold the batter with a silicone spatula until mostly incorporated.
- Stir in grated zucchini.
- Add chopped chocolate and give it a good stir. Don’t mix for too long.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
- To make the frosting, mix sour cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Once the cake is cooled completely, smear the frosting and cut into small squares.
- The cake can be made a day in advance. Store the frosted cake in the fridge, tightly covered. The cake is best served at room temperature. Leftovers are good for up to 5 days, covered and refrigerated.
Tips & Notes
Nutrition
This is simple to make and turned out great. The photos are very helpful since I like to verify the batter “looks right.”
So glad you tried and loved the recipe, Emme!! Thank you for your feedback!!!
Question: It is called SHEET cake… usually sheet cake is made in a jelly roll pan…. has anyone doubled this for a sheet cake size?
You don’t need to double the recipe. Just use jelly roll pan instead of 9×13-inch pan.
I have a recipe for chocolate zucchini cupcakes that I make all the time. The zucchini makes the cake so wonderful and moist. I love this sheet cake version and the addition of the sour cream frosting!
Mmm, chocolate zucchini cupcakes sound really good! You’ll love this sheet cake too, Kim. Hope you give it a try.
This cake looks awesome- no doubt why it would be a crowd pleaser 🙂 And I love the sour cream in the frosting!
Sour cream frosting is so good! Thanks for stopping by, Medha!