Healthier, super moist, honey sweetened chocolate zucchini cake with a special and simple ganache made out of coconut oil, cocoa powder, Greek yogurt and honey!
I’m totally new to the world of zucchini in baked goods. I can do carrot cake (like this whole wheat carrot cake) because the carrots are hidden, but I was nervous about this one.
It worked out well, though! It was awesome and I can’t wait to try other zucchini recipes. Especially ones with chocolate. ;) Update: these zucchini brownies (which are also whole wheat and can be made gluten-free) are now my favorite zucchini goodie!)
Zucchini and veggies just aren’t my thing. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I bought a cucumber, thinking it was a zucchini. What can I say? They’re both long and green. Thank goodness Mr. Texanerin questioned my cucumber intentions!
Or else there would’ve been cucumber cake. Yuck. Actually, I dislike zucchini too so maybe it doesn’t really matter. And by the way, you can not taste the zucchini in this zucchini cake. You can believe me when I say I would not eat this if you could.
So that’s what the cake looks like without the ganache. A bit boring, yes? And weird. The second cake I made came out looking normal. Without all those little holes. I had to make the cake twice.
The first time I used a 6 cup bundt pan (it halves wonderfully!), thinking it wouldn’t work out. But then it did. And since I can’t just guess the baking times, I had to bake it a second time using a normal 12 cup bundt pan.
So much better, isn’t it?! And oh oh oh! This ganache… it’s not really ganache. Ganache = chocolate + cream. This is cocoa powder, honey, coconut oil, and Greek yogurt. Yeah! :D It sets like normal ganache, but you should keep it in the fridge because of the yogurt. And it honestly tastes just like real ganache.
If you want something with chocolate and zucchini that’s gluten-free, try this gluten-free zucchini bread! It looks amazing.
Oh, and here’s a little lesson for you.
How to sneak pieces of cake before taking photos because of bad lighting situations:
Just make sure to leave little gaps so your cake doesn’t collapse. :)
100% Whole Grain Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Greek Yogurt Honey Chocolate Ganache
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 12-14 pieces
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (177ml) olive oil or canola oil
- 1 cup (320 grams) honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (177ml) Greek yogurt
- 290 grams whole wheat flour (this was about 2 cups or 2 1/4 cups)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 90 grams Dutch-process cocoa powder (about 3/4 cup cocoa)
- 3 cups (for me, this was 340 grams) grated, peeled zucchini1
- 1 cup (180 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 80 grams (1/4 cup) honey
- 50 grams (3 1/2 tablespoons) coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2-4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
Zucchini cake:
Ganache:
Directions
- Grease a 12 cup bundt pan or 6 cup if you want to make half. Preheat your oven to 350°F / 176°C. For the cake, combine the honey, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. At first it'll be difficult to get the honey incorporated, but it'll work. Stir in the eggs and then the Greek yogurt. Set this bowl aside.
- In another large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Sift the cocoa powder into the bowl if it's lumpy, or just use a fork to get rid of the lumps. Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir, just until combined. Fold in the zucchini and the chocolate chips.
- Bake the full recipe for 40 minutes, or if using half, bake for 30 minutes. When you insert a toothpick in the middle, the toothpick will not come out dry, or even with crumbs, but it'll come out covered in sticky batter. If you insert it, and it's just normal batter, it's not ready. Sticky batter is what we're looking for! It'll continue to cook once it's out of the oven.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then flip out onto a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before putting on the ganache. If using the following ganache recipe, store cake covered in the fridge. Otherwise, room temperature is fine.
- For the ganache: Over low heat, melt the honey and coconut oil and in a medium saucepan or pot. When melted, add the vanilla and then the cocoa powder. Stir until thoroughly combined. It might look weird, like it isn't combining. The first time I made it, I used too much coconut oil and poured some out and everything was fine. The recipe reflects how I made it the second time with less coconut oil, and had no problem with excess oil.
- Place in the fridge for 5 minutes. Take out and add a tablespoon of Greek yogurt at a time, stirring after every one. For me, just under three tablespoons was enough. It should be pourable at this point. Not too hot and not too cold. Pour over the cake and store any leftovers in the fridge.
Notes
- The first time, I grated the zucchini. The second time, I put it through the food processor using the super finer grater. But it really came out more like puree. With the puree, I used 1.5 cups because that's what 340 grams came out to. I think I actually preferred it with the grated zucchini. The texture just seemed better and the little pieces disappeared anyway, so you can still trick people. :)
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90 comments on “100% Whole Grain Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Greek Yogurt Honey Chocolate Ganache” — Add one!
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Hi Erin,
I just made the cake and love it! My husband kept saying “This is a serious cake!” I think he meant that it is very adult and intense.
I used raw honey and agave cause I ran out of the honey and it was great. I added a little half and half to make the ganache thinner but still I had to frost rather than pour but it was stunning.
I love my Nordic Ware 75th anniversary bunt pan that I found because of you!
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes you give us, God Bless you,
Heather
Hi Heather! I love your husband’s comment about it being a serious cake. :) And I’m happy to hear that you’re loving your bundt pan! I had had sooo many failed bundt cakes before I got that pan. Thanks a bunch for your nice comment! I’m glad that you’re enjoying the recipes. :)
I made this tonight it was absolutely beautiful thanks for a great recipe its a good way to sneak in zucchini for my family!
I’m happy to hear that you liked it! And it’s always fun to sneak some veggies into desserts, isn’t it? ;) Thanks for your comment!
This cake is so delicious and moist. Awesome recipe – easy to make. Results are fantastic. I’d love to post a photo of my cake because the ganache made it look so professional!
I’d love to see a picture! Could you send it to me at erin@texanerin.com? I’m happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment. :)
Hi Erin, I just sent you the photo. I absolutely love this recipe. It’s my future go-to recipe for a decadent, rich chocolate dessert to bring to family gatherings because it’s so impressive. Thank you for sharing such an awesome recipe!
Thanks again for the picture! I’m really so happy that you liked the cake so much and will make it again. :)
This cake looks amazing!!! Lately I noticed that every time I use baking soda my cakes turn out salty. Any recommendations? What am I doing wrong?
Thank you
Thank you! Are you using recipes that specifically call for baking soda? Because I’ve never heard of this issue and I just looked into it and couldn’t find anything, either. But I know if you use baking soda in a recipe calls for baking powder, things can get tricky (and perhaps salty!). If it’s just started lately, then I recommend getting a new package of baking soda. Perhaps you got a bad batch? It’s the only thing I can think of!
I am unable to find Dutch process cocoa powder. Could I use something like Cadbury’s Cocoa powder instead? Many thanks
That’d be fine! I see you have a UK email address. It seems as most cocoa powder in the UK is Dutch-process although it’s not labelled as such so Cadbury may even be Dutch-process. But even if it’s not, it’ll still work. I hope you’ll enjoy the cake!
Do you need to change the baking time if you make muffins instead?
Definitely! A few commenters have made them as muffins but I’m not sure how long they baked them. My guess is 12-18 minutes.
Does this cake freeze well?
I haven’t tried it but I think it would. If you had a choice, I’d probably freeze the cake unfrosted and add the frosting after baking.
Ooooo…I think *this* is the cake I’m going to make for my girls’ birthdays. But I’d like to do it as cupcakes. I assume that will work fine…but any idea of how long I should bake them?
If you try it, I hope your girls will enjoy them (and happy birthday to them! :)) Someone else in the comments made these as cupcakes and said they came out well but they didn’t say how long they baked them. I’m just going to guess here, but I’d say 12-17 minutes. It’s just a guess, though! I’d keep a close eye on them and then when they no longer look wet on the top, test them with a toothpick. It’ll probably still be wet inside and need another 2-3 minutes. Let me know how they come out if you try them! :)
This cake is so good! I made it last week with only a couple of minor adjustments. I just discovered your blog, and I am smitten! Making your Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies next!
I’m so happy that you found the blog and tried out the cake and liked it! I hope that you’ll enjoy the brownies just as much. :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
I make this cake into breakfast muffins using a large muffin pan. I have to say this cake is fantastic!! I do use vanilla yogurt, as the taste of the plain is just to strong for me. I drizzle the ganache on top and watch as these are wolfed down. The best part is when I tell people they have zucchini in them. I have been called a liar more than once lol..thanks for this recipe, I will be making more treats from your site.
A liar?! Haha. :) So happy that you were able to trick your friends into eating zucchini muffins! And even more happy that they liked them. Thanks a bunch for the feedback! I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes. :)
i just made this and the center never set. it’s still raw. i put it back in for 15 minutes and still way too gooey. The only thing i can think is that i didn’t really drain the zuchinni first but it didn’t say to anywhere in the directions. is that the problem?
Oh no. Sorry it didn’t come out! I hope it eventually set. I’ve made this cake a few times and never drained the zucchini. The only thing I can think of is that you finely grated your zucchini and were therefore able to pack in a lot? There’s a note about that at the bottom of the recipe. If that’s not the case, I have no idea what could have caused the problem. Sorry again!
Hi would this recipe work without the chocolate chips added? Thanks :-)
Yes, that should be fine. Hope you’ll like it! :)
This cake is very appetizing. I am definitely making it for my husband’s birthday. Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
I hope that your husband will love it (and that he’ll have a happy birthday!) Thanks for the feedback and the rating. :)
My 15 yr old daughter made this cake for her Dad’s Birthday yesterday…it turned out really good. We left out the yogurt as she has a dairy allergy…it was still super moist. We put a simple orange glaze on top instead of the ganache…just wasn’t sure how to substitute the yogurt in the ganache. Everyone loved it.
I’m so happy that you all enjoyed this cake! And I love that your daughter made the cake for her dad. So nice. :) I’m happy that this worked out without the yogurt. Thanks so much for your feedback!
This looks delish, and I’m floored by the ganache! I’m _so_ making that. Thank you for sharing!
I hope that you’ll enjoy the cake and ganache! :)
I found your ganache through a google search and it was PERFECT!! I used it on a coconut/chocolate layer cake for my friend’s birthday cake last night. I will definitely use it again. How creative!
Oh no. Sorry for just now seeing this! I’m so happy to hear that you liked the ganache. And on a coconut chocolate cake?! Yum! Thanks a ton for the feedback. :)
I know this is awful of me to ask but do you happen to have the nutritional numbers on this beautiful cake. I have a lot of diabetes in my family and if I saw numbers I can tweek it for them.
That’s not awful at all, Denise! I don’t have that info but Caloriecount has a nice recipe analyzer you could try using. :) This recipe is healthier than a normal cake but still not diabetes friendly so I’m guessing it’d need a lot of tweaking. Good luck! I hope you all enjoy it. :)
Okay, I am intrigued. I just pinned this and will be trying it!
Thanks for pinning, Kelly! I hope you enjoy the cake. Let me know how it comes out! :)
I just made this for my daughter's 1st birthday and it was a huge hit! Great recipe, and we're going to pretend it's healthy enough for breakfast :) Next time I will make it as a bundt or cupcake, though. I tried to be clever and bake it in a cute shape for her birthday, but had to cook it longer because the center remained gooey and so the edges were a little over baked. This is definitely a cake that does best with no center to worry about. Even over baked it's fantastic, though!
Ah, sorry I didn't see this until now! So sorry. I'm happy that it worked out even in a funny shape. And your daughter's 1st birthday… I'm honored you made this! Thank you. And thanks for the review! :)
I love zucchini chocolate cakes! That sneaky bit of healthiness which just translates as a yummy moist chocolate cake is alright by me. And hahaha I LOVE your tip for how to eat cake prior to shooting :-D
Same for me! Now that I know that I can be sneaky with zucchini, I'm going to try more chocolately things with them! And yay, happy my cake digging tip was helpful. :)
Ooh, you made a zucchini cake also. Looks good!
Yeah but yours looks way neater. :)
Someya – Hi! I love hearing from new readers. :) I'm happy that the cake worked out for you and thanks for leaving feedback!
hi. i m quite new here. i have just made this one and it turned great. thx for sharing.
Kathryn – Me too! I was so shocked that I actually liked it. I thought for sure I'd be able to taste a hint of the zucchini. But nope. This is all chocolate. :)
Brooke – Yay! This totally made my day. I love it when people leave feedback. Thank you! I'm so happy that you liked it and your cupcakes worked out. Thanks again. :)
Oh goodness, this recipe is amazing! I made these into cupcakes and they are absolutely incredible! The cake is so moist and tastes like very dark chocolate, not too sweet, which is perfect. Thanks so much!
I'm a zucchini hater too but I've been pleasantly surprised about how well it works in cakes and cookies. I definitely need to try this and I really love the idea of that chocolate ganache!
Christina – Thanks! I still have my eye on that lemon zucchini bread of yours. Just have to know if the veggie taste is there. :)
Seriously, look at that chocolate ganache!! Incredible! I just love the chocolate and zucchini combo! :)
Amy – Thanks! Happy people like the ganache. :)
Sonia – I bet you'll make more than a few tweaks (it's a LOOOOT of honey!) and they'll be awesome tweaks. :) And happy my lesson was helpful for you. I don't understand how people can stand it, not trying cake before taking pictures. It's crazy! How do they even know if it's good enough to post? I'm not going to spend a few hours on something that I don't even know tastes good. Thanks for your enthusiasm, as always!
Stefanie – Thank you! :)
Erin – You and I are so on the same page. Can't wait to see your post! I also want to do more with zucchini and chocolate. I have one leftover. I'll have to see what I can think of!
Baltic Maid – I came across your recipe when I first thought of the baking with zucchini and saw that I had already commented. I still want to make it but I was worried about making it in a bundt pan. It sounds amazing, though!
I really want a slice or two, now… It looks soo good. And the ganache, oh, it's so pretty. I am really craving chocolate cake now…
I made a chocolate cake with zucchini before and I agree you really cannot taste the zucchini.
that is awesome!! I love how you showed how to carve out pieces of cake :)
I just made a chocolate zucchini bread, but haven't had a chance to taste or photograph yet. I am thinking I need to do more with this zucchini and chocolate thing!
Wonderful cake! Yogurt to make ganache is both unique and healthy :)Delish!
Greek yogurt in ganache??? I've but one thing to say: B.R.I.L.L.I.A.N.T!
Love it. Absolutely LOVE it. This cake looks so yummy, I'm drooling all over my brain here. And for the record, I think the "naked" cake looks unbelievably good, not weird at all. It lets you see the texture of the cake, which does look like it's very dense and "wet".
My kinda cake. I will definitely have to try it (with a few little tweaks, of course…)
Oh, and I can't believe you showed us the holes. I couldn't help but start laughing. That IS a lesson indeed! And a very valuable one at that!
oh my, this looks WONDERFUL! that ganache looks to-die-for. NOM!
JulieD – Thank you! It is fun to take something so unhealthy and make it… less unhealthy. :)
Barbara – I can never ever take pictures in the kitchen. There are two huge windows, but somehow, it's never light enough in there. I have to take everything to the bedroom/living room. When we go apartment searching again, lighting in a big issue. Need a sunny place! I hope your lighting experiments go well. :)
Cassie – Yes, dense! I forgot to add that to the post. I don't normally like fluffy cake. This is wonderfully dense.
Heidi – Oh. That stinks. Since I have to eat all this stuff by myself, making stuff twice isn't going to happen. Don't be sorry about zucchini week! It sounds fun. :) And thank you for the nice words. :)
Becca – Thank you! So happy to have taught someone the very important skill of being sneaky. Yay!
Julie – Thanks! I was too impatient to wait to take pictures. Hence the ultra glossiness. :)
Ali – Thank you! :)
This is absolutely beautiful! Looks delicious!
holy yum. this looks SO good. i love how fudgey it is and that chocolate ganache is so pretty. i love how glossy it is!
Oh my goodness. Everything in this post is beyond fantastic. The pictures are beautiful, the milk jug is so cute, the "ganache" looks positively decadent, and now I know how to sneak bits of food :)
Oh my goodness… <3! First - Great minds think alike. Chocolate + zucchini! Awesome! Second - I am so amazed by your cake sneaking skills. I try to take pictures of things asap but it doesn't always work out. Sometimes I make things twice before I get to take pictures, it's kind of sad. Lastly, I'm sorry that this week is all about zucchini on FD. Oh and one more thing... That ganache is incredible!! Beautiful cake :D
This looks so dense and fudgy Erin! I love baking with zucchini!
only natural light? wow… my kitchen is always too dark (it faces North) so I have to use the balcony all the time – but in the winter no light even there… really hope I can find good artificial lights and if I do I will share what I have learnt.
Ooh, this looks so good!! Loving seeing your versions of healthy desserts!
Barbara – Thank you! Ganache pouring has always been a challenge for me. This time I was just lucky. And I only use natural light. I've tried making a light box and making DIY Ego lights and neither one worked for me. Let me know if you do get some kind of lighting setup. I'd love to know how it works! We're both in the same boat when it comes to light pretty soon. It gets dark up there early and over here, it's just constantly gray. We've seriously gone weeks before without any sun. Just grayness. Whenever I wake up and it's actually sunny, I have to run to the kitchen and bake, bake, bake.
Lauren – The ganache is amazing! You have to try it. I couldn't believe that it actually tastes like ganache and not some healthified watery bittery… something. :)
Spencer – I bet you would! But you really can't taste the zucchini. I was sure you kill any veggie taste. Can't have that around here. :)
Natasha – Haha. Well I'm happy I called it the right thing. I had it typed up as milk _____________ for the last week. I just went with jug. Thanks for playing along with my silly ideas. :D
Shelly – I promise you can't taste it! It tastes the same as if using canola oil. When you taste the batter, you can taste it, but once baked, that yucky taste goes away. :) And yeah, having you at the tea party would've been fun! We only had Maker's Mark, though. No tea.
Miryam – You should post your version! I'd love to try it. And this was my first time baking with zucchini! Definitely won't be the last. I hope you like the apricot muffins. :)
Jessica – Thanks! There's not much yogurt but at least it adds something. :)
I love the sound of this ganache! Great idea to use yogurt and coconut oil!
This is just awesome!! The ganache topping is my favorite. I make something similar but never posted it in the blog :-) Could you believe I have never baked with zucchini before? I need to.
This is a big contender on my list, however the apricot and almond muffins you made a while back need to be baked this week for sure :-) Will let you know how they turn out.
Well, olive oil in a cake? I need to try it!
I didn't know about the tea party! I need to be better about social media :)
HAHAHAHA I love the milk jug and I love love love your sneaky cake eating tricks :-D
Looks absolutely delicious! I love the combination of chocolate and zucchini so I know I would love this!
There's nothing about this cake that I don't love… and that ganache? Gorgeous! A must-make, for sure =).
I want it!!!!
amazing to make something all-wheat look so wonderful. and I will follow you on facebook asap. you did such a lovely job with that ganache. and about lighting, I am on the verge of buying a professional light, do you already use one? (any suggestion is deeply appreciated)
xox