Chocolate Zucchini Coconut Cake
Updated June 02, 2020
Chocolate Zucchini Coconut Cake-this decadent chocolate cake is made with zucchini, coconut, and topped with a sweet toasted coconut frosting! This cake is a MUST make for zucchini season!
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Pin ItIt’s zucchini season and that means it’s my duty to bring you new zucchini recipes. I’ve shared a lot of zucchini recipes on our blog over the years, but I am always up for creating more! I love zucchini! It is one of my favorite vegetables. I especially love zucchini in this Chocolate Zucchini Coconut Cake. It is my new favorite zucchini recipe and a MUST make for zucchini season! If you like my classic chocolate zucchini cake, you will LOVE this one too!
I love making chocolate zucchini cupcakes. They are a favorite summer treat at our house when the zucchini is piling up. You can’t go wrong with chocolate and chocolate frosting, but this time I wanted to mix things up. I made a Chocolate Zucchini Coconut Cake. I love chocolate and coconut together, it is always a winning combo! And this cake is super easy because it is made in a 9×13 pan. It feeds a crowd and is perfect for summer parties!
The chocolate cake is super moist and decadent and I love the coconut frosting! Don’t skip it! It is the perfect finish to the rich, chocolaty cake! You might want to have a glass of milk nearby because this cake is rich, rich, rich. And if milk isn’t your thing, you can serve a scoop of my Coconut Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream on the side. You can never have too much chocolate or coconut!
Eating vegetables is important and eating chocolate cake is important…at least it is important in my book:) You can kill two birds with one stone by making this Chocolate Zucchini Coconut Cake! You get your veggies and your chocolate fix! Enjoy!
If you are looking for other zucchini recipes, check out these fabulous zucchini recipes! Happy zucchini season!
More Zucchini Recipes:
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Brownies
Chocolate Zucchini Coconut Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 cups shredded zucchini
- 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
For the Coconut Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup toasted coconut, for sprinkling cake
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9″ x 13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, wnisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, coconut oil, and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, beat until smooth. Add the Greek yogurt and mix until combined.
- Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the zucchini, coconut, and chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared pan.
- Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes, until the top springs back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
- While the cake is cooling, make the coconut frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and mix until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add in the coconut and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- Frost the cooled cake with coconut frosting. Sprinkle toasted coconut over the top of the cake. Cut cake into pieces and serve.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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This is great! Used gluten free all purpose flour and it turned out yummy!
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe. Made it tonight- I and the 2 men in my household were just loving it . They couldn’t resist seconds! Liked the batter, too.
Could you use round cake pans instead? Would that change your baking time a lot? Would one recipe just fill one round pan?
Cant wait to try this. It sounds delish!!!! Can I bake this in a round cake pan or bunt pan?
This might be a rookie question, but then, I’m a rookie cook. Is there a specific type of chocolate chip intended for this recipe? Semi-sweet, milk chocolate…? Thanks.
Unbelievably good! Best zucchini on the planet. And probably the richest. Took me a little longer than what the recipe states, but well worth it. Can’t believe I made something like that!
Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has tried to substitute flour to make it gluten free?
THANKS A BUNCH
Has anyone tried this as abundant cake?
Substituted gluten free flour and made 12 cupcakes. The most delicious & moist cupcakes ever! Added bonus that it’s a little healthier too. Thanks for posting!
*Note: I halved the recipe and it made 12 cupcakes.
Sadly I was very disappointed. Normally I love chocolate zucchini cake. I baked the cake as per the directions/temperature indicated and it was very doughy still… I ended up putting it back in the oven at 350 F for almost another 40 minutes and it is still heavy/doughy.
This was absolutely DELISH!!! All my favorites in one! Made this for a picnic dinner in the park and it was a HUGE hit! No leftovers, so making another one tonite! Thanks so much!
Is confectioners sugar pure icing sugar? Here in Australia we have pure icing sugar and icing mxture – not confectioners sugar.
It is also called powdered sugar here!
I am planning to make this cake and was wondering if it would be ok to substitute the all purpose flour with coconut flour. I don’t bake much so I am not sure if they are able to be interchanged like that. Thanks
I have made this cake yesterday and I did it. Thanks for sharing this recipe to me
This was fantastically moist and delicious. I didn’t have yoghurt on hand, so I used almond milk instead. Also, if you live with health nuts, you can make a half portion of frosting and frost one side of the cake.
Two thumbs up from kids and adults.
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!. Not only is it a wonderful easy and delicious recipe that helps address the prolific harvests from our zucchini plants but it is also a great way to get those vegetables into a child that does not eat greens – forgetting the fact that we have just plied plenty of fats and sugars into them & probably cooked out most of the goodness! I had nothing but rave reviews on my cake despite having modified the recipe slightly to suit my pantry on the day – including coconut flavoured yoghurt ( EasiYO) and drops of Malibu liqueur in lieu of coconut essence in the icing.
Looking forward to trying it with coconut oil and chocolate drops too!
I made this. IT IS THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER.
If you can’t find PURE coconut extract, you may as well use vanilla extract because fake coconut extract gives the cake a “play doh” flavor that ruins the who thing.
I’ve made this 4x. First time I made it with vanilla instead of coconut extract. GREAT. 2nd time, I made it with the coconut extract. Meh…..3rd time I made it, I used coconut cream in the frosting instead of vanilla or coconut extract, and it was very good.
I am so happy you like the cake! I need to make it again!
How many calories and how many servings?
This looks delicious! Just wondered if I could make this in a Bundt pan. Would baking time be the same? Also, since there’s only 2 of us now, could I half the recipe & Make this in a 9 x 9″ pan or an 8 x 8″ pan, and what baking time would be good? Thank you!
Yes, you can half it and bake in an 8×8 pan. I would check it at 30 minutes to be safe.
Can I sub regular cocoa for the Dutch cocoa?
I did. It was very good I will be making this again.
This is the best chocolate cake I have ever made. I did not add the chocolate chips or put the frosting on it to make it a bit healthier as it was just for my husband and me. Fantastic for using up those extra zucchini’s that grow overnight.
What is the nutrition info on this recipe?
THIS SOUNDS SOOOO GOOD! I swear that one day I will venture past the recipe section of your site.
how do you toast the coconut flakes? also … do you refrigerate the cake after cutting, store in a cool place, or just let it sit on the counter?
You can toast the coconut flakes in the oven. Check out this post: http://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/how-to-toast-coconut/. You can store the cake in the fridge or on the counter. If it is super hot in your house, I would put it in the fridge. Enjoy!
Thank you for sharing such fantastic recipes every week! I have made so many recipes I thought it was time that I let you know how much I enjoy your posts. My two favourites are; Sour Cream Chocolate Bundt Cake and Chocolate Zucchini Coconut Cake. This afternoon, I made the Zucchini Cake again and my kitchen has a lovely aroma of coconut and chocolate. It is so good, I have never actually iced this cake – only served it plain and my family and coworkers always ask for seconds every time. Cheers, Jennifer
Have you made this without the coconut flakes in the cake part? Any adjustments?
You can just leave it out.
I want to know the nutrition facts before I make it. Thanks
First time on your website.
We loved this cake so much. I did use some coconut sugar and regular sugar. This is a dense and yummy cake and zucchini
First time on your website.
We loved this cake so much. I did use some coconut sugar and regular sugar. This is a dense and yummy cake and zucchini makes it so moist.
Super moist, completely delicious and chocolaty perfection. The frosting with toasted coconut was an absolutely perfect topper. Will make it again!
Is the amount of shredded zucchini drained?
Hy, these recipe looks great, is possible to change butter with olive oil?
I haven’t tried it in this recipe.