Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting (GF, Vegan).

Chocolate zucchini cake with coconut cream frosting is a delicious and beautiful dessert that’s gluten free and vegan. A rich chocolate cake is a perfect sweet treat to enjoy this summer!

You know how sometimes you want to be fancy, but you really don’t have time to be fancy?

Maybe you have a party coming up, and you have visions of a beautifully decorated cake…lots of swirls and rosettes, and a perfectly smooth frosted top. And then you look at your house and realize that you also need to do the laundry, vacuum, feed your children, and by the way, all your icing tips have disappeared because someone thought they were “robot fingernails.”

Sound familiar? Just me?

This is the cake for you, my friend. This chocolate zucchini cake is decadent, rich, and beautiful. But it’s also so easy.

The frosting is made from coconut cream that’s been whipped with powdered sugar and cocoa powder until it’s fluffy and light. And just to make things easy, only the tops of the cake layers are frosted. No need to smooth out the sides – just frost and top with fresh berries. This chocolate zucchini cake couldn’t be any easier!

It’s just the thing to make when you’re short on time but still want a special dessert.

Can you taste the zucchini in this vegan chocolate zucchini cake?

No, you can’t! The zucchini adds moisture to the cake, and since it’s a chocolate cake, you won’t even be able to see the shredded zucchini.

What’s the best way to grate zucchini for baking?

Use a hand grater to grate the zucchini to get fine shreds. If you use a food processor, you might see the larger pieces of zucchini in the cake.

Ways to customize this chocolate zucchini cake:

• make vanilla coconut whipped cream instead of chocolate
• top it with shredded coconut instead of berries
• add chocolate chips to the batter
• serve it with a drizzle of hot fudge sauce for extra decadence

Can I use something other than coconut milk for the frosting?

If you can’t have coconut milk you may want to try making a simple dairy free buttercream to frost this cake. Or you could use your favorite dairy free ice cream to make this into an ice cream cake!

Does this cake have to be made in round cake pans?

It could be made in two 8 inch square pans. Or you could use a larger sheet cake pan. Just keep an eye on it if you make a change to the pans. The baking time may vary.

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Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting.

A decadent and beautiful vegan and gluten free dessert - this chocolate zucchini cake is topped with coconut cream frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Dairy Free, gluten free, vegan.

Keyword gluten free chocolate zucchini cake, vegan zucchini recipes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 28 minutes

Total Time 38 minutes

Servings 10

Calories 560 kcal

Author Kelly Roenicke

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 3 cups gluten free flour blend I used Namaste Perfect Flour Blend
• 1 ¾ cups organic cane sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• ⅔ cup vegan buttery spread melted
• 1 cup zucchini shredded
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup cold water

For the frosting:

• 30 ounces full fat coconut milk chilled for at least 8 hours - I used So Delicious Culinary coconut milk
• ⅓ cup powdered sugar
• 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

For the topping:

• ¾ cup strawberries sliced
• ⅓ cup blueberries

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two round 9-inch cake pans. Cut circles out of parchment paper and press into the bottom of the pans.

2. Whisk together the gluten free flour blend, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda, and set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the melted vegan buttery spread, shredded zucchini, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and water. Mix on low speed until combined. 

4. Add ½ of the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed. Add the other half of the dry ingredients, and continue to mix on medium speed until well combined.

5. Divide the batter between the two round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 26-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.

6. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then invert the pans over a cookie sheet and tap the bottom until the cakes release. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.

Make the coconut cream frosting:

1. Remove the chilled coconut milk from the refrigerator. Depending on what kind of container it's in, either let the liquid drain out, or use a spoon to scoop out the chilled coconut cream and put it in a mixing bowl. 

2. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder to the coconut cream and beat on medium speed, then increase to high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. 

3. Once the coconut cream is light and fluffy, turn off the mixer. Place the bottom layer of the cake on a cake stand. Frost the bottom layer with half of the frosting. 

4. Stack the other layer on top, and spread on the rest of the coconut cream frosting. Top the cake with the strawberries and blueberries.

5. Leftover cake should be refrigerated.

Recipe Notes

This frosting is not super sweet - if you want it to be sweeter, just add more powdered sugar as needed! This was sweet enough for my family. 

Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

If you are not gluten free, you can use all-purpose flour instead.

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting.

Amount Per Serving

Calories 560 Calories from Fat 270

% Daily Value*

Fat 30g46%

Saturated Fat 19g119%

Sodium 564mg25%

Potassium 397mg11%

Carbohydrates 75g25%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 41g46%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 600IU12%

Vitamin C 9.9mg12%

Calcium 56mg6%

Iron 5.6mg31%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

That’s all there is to it! A perfect cake for a party, and a perfect way to use up a bit more zucchini from that overflowing garden! :)