It might sound a bit strange to add zucchini to chocolate cake but I have to tell you, it works perfectly and it comes out delicious! This vegan zucchini chocolate cake is super moist, soft and healthier with the sweet potato chocolate frosting. Moreover, you don’t taste the zucchini☺
I added some applesauce for using less oil. I haven’t tried replacing the oil completely with applesauce yet for non-oil version. If you try it please let me know how it came out☺
The cake becomes moist because of the moisture of the zucchini added to the batter gradually comes out while baking. That’s why it’s important to not to add any more moisture when you mix the batter even though it looks very thick.
The sweet potato chocolate frosting recipe in here is different to the one I used for the sweet potato cupcakes
because I just didn’t have chocolate so made it with cocoa powder instead. I love creamed coconut, which comes in a block and it’s very cheap! It’s a condensed coconut block so you need only some of it for a cooking. For this, I used only 70g out of a 200g block. It added an extra creaminess and subtle coconut flavour in the frosting so I would say please do not omit the creamed coconut!
Once you have the cakes and the frosting ready, assembling is pretty easy. Just spread some of the frosting over one of the cake, place the other cake on top of that and spread the rest over the top. Sprinkle with the chopped dark chocolate and it’s ready to serve☺
This vegan zucchini chocolate cake is seriously delicious and worth trying if you are looking to make healthier dessert☺
Vegan Zucchini Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the zucchini chocolate cake
- 1 flax egg 7 g ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp hot water
- 185 g plain four
- 45 g cocoa powder
- 150 g sugar I used soft brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 210 g zucchini shredded
- 60 ml soy yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 45 g applesauce
- 45 g oil I used sunflower oil
- 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy milk
For the sweet potato chocolate frosting (it makes enough to frost this zucchini cake)
- 140 g sweet potato peeled and cut into small chunks
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 70 g creamed coconut shredded
- 50 ml oil I used sunflower oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp soy milk you might not need all or need more than that
For the topping
- 30 g dark chocolate chopped in small bits or shredded
Instructions
To make the zucchini cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 5).
- In a small bowl, mix 1 table spoon ground flaxseed and 3 table spoon hot water together and let it sit until you need it.
- Grease two 7 inch cake tin with a bit of margarine and dust of flour. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and the baking powder in to a mixing bowl and add the sugar and the salt and mix well.
- Mix in the shredded zucchini. Then Add in the soy yogurt, vanilla extract, applesauce, vegetable oil, vinegar, soy milk and the prepared flax egg. Mix your batter until well combined but Do not over mix!!
- The batter will be very thick but you’ll be able to mix it all in. The moisture from the zucchini will come out while baking so please do not add any more moisture!
- Divide the batter between the two prepared cake tins and spread it out evenly to the edges with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cakes come out clean.
- Allow your cakes to cool in the cake pans for at least 30 minutes before you remove them from the tins. I left them in the tins for about 4 hours until I was ready for frosting.
To make the sweet potato chocolate frosting
- Place the sweet potato on a microwave safe plate with a cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until very soft. Mash with a folk in a bowl and add in the shredded creamed coconut. Because the sweet potato is still hot from cooking, the creamed coconut will melt as it's mixed in.
- Put the mixture in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and pulse until smooth. If it looks firm add some soy milk, a little bit at a time. If you are planning to keep the frosting in the fridge, make it slightly looser than ordinary frosting like hand cream kind of consistency as it hardens little in the fridge due to the creamed coconut.
- If you are not frosting right now, keep it in the fridge until you are ready.
To assemble the cake
- Take the cakes out of the tins. Place one of the cakes on a flat plate and spread some of the sweet potato chocolate frosting on the top. Place the the other cake on top of that.
- Spread the rest of the frosting over the top of the cake and sprinkle with chopped chocolate for decoration.
