5 Apr 2020

Extra (Ap)Petite: Lola’s Zucchini or Carrot Chocolate Cake

See a video of how I make these (after the photo in the Instagram post carousel).

I’m not usually much of a baker, but I had zucchini on hand and thought I’d let it live its best life in this moist, chocolaty zucchini cake that Nori’s grandmother (“lola” in Filipino) makes and everyone always gobbles up! It’s a family recipe that she adjusted for Nori’s allergies, so see below for substitutions to make this dairy and / or egg free.

We usually eat this cake alone or with some berries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I would also highly recommend the lemon cream cheese frosting recipe below which is extra delicious with this cake! (we’ve made this with dairy-free modifications as well) If making frosting, I freeze some cupcakes with frosting piped in the center, wrap them in foil, and just defrost in the fridge one day before eating – comes out perfectly!

PS – scroll to the bottom for how to modify this recipe into a delightful carrot cake!

Kate Spade lemon towel (full set sold here), Calphalon muffin / cupcake tin

Print Recipe

4.82 from 153 votes

EXTRA (AP)PETITE: LOLA’S ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CAKE

Servings: fully-filled cupcakes or 1 dozen less filled ones.

Ingredients

CAKE INGREDIENTS

Dry ingredients bowl

1 and 1/4th cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda baking soda & powder stay fresh for 6m-1 year once open
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves adds a slightly spiced flavor like in carrot cake
Optional: 1 teaspoon ground coffee

Wet ingredients bowl

1 egg* see substitution note
1/3 cup oil. We use olive oil or vegetable oil.
1 cup sugar. We use half brown sugar half white sugar.
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons coconut cream or 1 small 5.4 oz can** (see substitution note)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stirred in at the end

1 heaping cup grated zucchini I used 1 medium zucchini which yielded ~1.25 cups
Optional: 1/3 cup chocolate chips allergy note: regular chocolate chips usually contain dairy

FROSTING INGREDIENTS

4 Tablespoons butter (half a stick) softened at room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese (half a standard size package) softened at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups powdered confectioners sugar sifted into the frosting bowl
Optional, but highly recommended: 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice to taste I also added a little lemon zest into the frosting and on top of each cupcake.

Instructions

CAKE INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grate zucchini and set aside. If if looks watery, blot off excess water with a paper towel otherwise I don’t typically blot it. If you’re doing the optional adding lemon juice or white vinegar into the milk step, do that now as well and set aside.
In a bowl, sift together everything listed under “Dry ingredients bowl.” Sifting is key for helping these ingredients combine evenly and to get rid of clumps. I only have a little sift, so just added each ingredient one at a time through the sift, stirred with a spoon, and re-sifted everything together.
In a separate, large bowl, mix everything listed under “Wet ingredients bowl” using a hand beater until combined.
Stir the sifted dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl. Use a large spoon or spatula to stir until combined.
Stir in grated zucchini and optional chocolate chips.
Scoop batter into cupcake liners or a well greased pan (this recipe fits into an 8 x 8 pan). I filled these to the brim of my cupcake tins for fuller, rounded cupcakes after baking.
Bake for 18-22 minutes for cupcakes until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. For a larger sheet cake, bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the toothpick test is clean.

FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS

Cream together the softened butter, cream cheese, and vanilla using a mixer.
Sift in the powdered sugar and continue mixing until smooth.
Stir in optional lemon juice and/or zest half a teaspoon at a time to taste, until you’re happy with the flavor. If needed, add a few tablespoons more confectioners sugar for thicker frosting.
Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes (frosting will thicken up a tad more) and then spread on top of FULLY COOLED cake. You can also make a DIY frosting piping bag (pictured below) by cutting off one corner of a ziploc bag.

Notes

* Egg substitute: Oftentimes you can replace 1 egg in baking with 1/4 cup of applesauce or mashed banana. Or, try a flax seed egg which is common in vegan baking.

** Coconut cream is the thicker, creamy and more solidified part inside a can of coconut milk. You can buy it separately (like this mini can) or just scoop out the thicker part from a regular can of coconut milk. I used just regular coconut milk for this batch as a test, and it still worked fine. We freeze any unused coconut milk or cream in ice cube trays for various uses later!

*** If you do not have coconut milk and are able to eat dairy, the original family recipe actually calls for 1/2 cup regular milk (whole milk if available) + 2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir the vinegar or lemon juice into the milk and let it sit for 10 minutes before using. This is a common way of making “buttermilk” for baking, and you can also do this with the coconut milk but I skipped it.

Grating zucchini and sifting the dry ingredients

Mixing the wet ingredient and stirring in the sifted dry ingredients

Stir in zucchini, fill a well greased pan (I ran out of cupcake liners!) and bake.

Optional Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

If you have an additional few minutes, this frosting is truly yummy with this cake! I decided to add a little lemon, which brightens up the creaminess and pairs perfectly with the chocolate in my humble opinion. Dairy-free modifications: we used vegan cream cheese and vegan butter.

You can simply spread the frosting on with a butter knife / spatula, or, make a DIY frosting piping bag (pictured below) by cutting off one corner of a ziploc bag. I had a little leftover frosting (since Nori can’t eat it on her cupcakes) and have been enjoying it with my easy banana muffins – yum!!

Tip: If you’re making this, take the cream cheese and butter out of the fridge before starting your cake so that they will gradually come to room temperature and soften. See the frosting ingredients and directions above in the printable recipe card!

Sifting powdered sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and filling a DIY piping bag.

Modifications for Crave-Worthy Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is one of my all-time favorites, and using this same recipe as a guideline makes one of the most delicious, moist versions I’ve ever had!

Modifications from Zucchini Cake Recipe Above

reduced flour & increased shredded veggies, as I like a higher ratio of carrots in my cake
grated carrots a little more finely than zucchini
reduced sugar a tad as carrots have more natural sweetness than zucchini
replaced cocoa powder with carrot cake spices, raisins & optional nuts

Print Recipe

4.85 from 80 votes