This easy-to-make gluten-free chocolate zucchini cake might become your new favorite dessert because it’s fudgy, moist, rich, and so chocolaty! It’s a delicious vegan chocolate cake that is also perfect for birthdays! The recipe is not only gluten-free but also plant-based (dairy-free, egg-free), refined sugar-free, oil-free, and quite healthy because it contains zucchini and sweet potato!
Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Where do I begin? I think I just went to chocolate heaven after eating a slice of this delicious vegan chocolate cake. I am not kidding, this cake is so tasty even though it contains zucchini!
Chocolate cakes have a bad reputation because normally they contain lots of sugar, eggs, and butter, but not this one! Even though it’s a healthy chocolate cake, it tastes absolutely amazing. Also, would you guess that the creamy chocolate frosting contains sweet potatoes? I bet you wouldn’t!
I love hiding vegetables in my chocolate desserts. Actually, I already made brownies with zucchini, black beans, sweet potato, silken tofu, chickpeas, and even sweet peas. !
Why adding zucchini to a cake? The zucchini adds moisture, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Check out this article to read about the health benefits of zucchini.
Oil-Free Chocolate Cake
I love to bake, but I actually never follow any recipes which I find online because most of them aren’t very healthy. A quick Google search for chocolate cake reveals lots of recipes that contain either butter or a cup of oil. I mean, seriously, who wants to eat a cake with so much oil or butter?! Your arteries won’t be happy.
I do have some recipes which contain a few tablespoons of oil but sometimes, I try to completely skip the oil. Even though oil is plant-based, it’s a refined food that contains 100% fat and no fiber at all. So whenever possible, I rather consume the whole plant and not the oil.
For example, instead of avocado oil, I eat an avocado. Or instead of coconut oil, I eat coconut meat. Whole foods are always complete and contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. which makes them much healthier.
I am not saying that this gluten-free chocolate cake is fat-free because it is not. Fat adds taste and a great texture to baked goods, furthermore, it’s important to eat a diet with healthy fats. However, you can get similar results with ground nuts or seeds (like almond flour, nut butter, etc.).
How To Make A Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake?
I promise that the recipe isn’t hard to follow. I also included step-by-step process shots for easy visual instructions. You can find the list of ingredients, measurements, nutrition facts, and instructions in the printable recipe below.
- Process the dry ingredients in a blender, then transfer them to a mixing bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients and stir with a whisk or hand mixer.
- Grate the zucchini.
- Add the zucchini to the chocolate batter and stir with a spoon.
- Transfer the batter to a lined and greased springform or use two pans (read the thorough instructions below in the recipe card).
- Bake in the oven.
- Make the sweet potato frosting in a food processor or blender.
- Frost the cake.
You can use a different frosting, maybe you want to keep it simple and just use a glaze, like the one in my Healthy No-Bake Brownies.
Flour Substitutes
Like almost all my recipes, this chocolate cake is vegan and gluten-free. The recipe contains brown rice flour and no “complicated” flour blend. If you aren’t gluten-free, though, you can try out regular flour. One reader reported in the comments that she made the cake successfully with all-purpose flour.
Other readers reported that the cake came out fine with white rice flour or with a store-bought gluten-free flour blend. You can make your own brown rice flour (from brown dry rice) in a good high-speed blender, however, store-bought flour is typically finer and less grainy.
I don’t recommend using coconut flour because it’s very absorbent and would dry out the cake.
The Perfect Vegan Birthday Cake
If you were looking for an allergy-friendly chocolate cake for a birthday, then look no further. This vegan and gluten-free chocolate cake is a wonderful birthday cake because normally everyone loves chocolate, not only kids but also adults. A moist and rich chocolate cake was always my favorite birthday cake. I mean, you can never have enough chocolate in your life, right?! I hope you will give it a try and surprise your loved ones with this eggless chocolate cake for their birthdays.
Tips And Variations
- Make chocolate muffins: Pour the batter into a muffin pan and reduce the baking time by about 15-20 minutes. Make a toothpick test after 25 minutes.
- Add some flavor: You could add orange zest to make a chocolate orange cake! It’s a nice and refreshing twist!
- Add chocolate chips: If you love chocolate as much as I do, feel free to add dairy-free chocolate chips for a triple chocolate cake.
Chocolate Sweet Potato Frosting
You can make this chocolate zucchini cake with or without frosting. However, if you make it without the frosting, it will be a little boring. The frosting is actually so rich, tasty, and creamy, so I definitely recommend it. Furthermore, the sweet potatoes make the frosting not only thick but also pretty healthy.
This delicious gluten-free chocolate zucchini cake is so simple and every chocolate lover will enjoy it. If you try it out, please leave a comment and rating below and tag me with @elavegan and #elavegan on Instagram and/or Facebook. Don’t forget to use #elavegan as well, otherwise, I won’t see your post.
For more delicious vegan chocolate desserts, definitely visit the following blog posts:
- Vegan Lava Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Pie
- Caramel Chocolate Brownies
- Vegan Chocolate Mousse
- 2-Ingredient Condensed Milk Chocolate Truffles
- Keto Chocolate Truffles (Vegan)
- Double Chocolate Chip Fudge Cookies
- Chocolate Salami (No-Bake Dessert)
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Pudding
Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup (240 g) brown rice flour (see notes)
- 1 cup (150 g) coconut sugar (see notes)
- 3/4 cup (66 g) cocoa powder unsweetened
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds or ground chia seeds
- 3/4 cup (66 g) shredded unsweetened coconut (see notes)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
- 2 cups (lightly packed) (240 g) grated zucchini (see notes)
- 1 1/3 cup (320 ml) coconut milk canned (regular or lite) (see notes)
- 3-4 tbsp (80 g) maple syrup or agave syrup
Sweet potato frosting:
- 2 small (300 g) sweet potatoes cooked
- 1 cup (240 g) sunflower seed butter or nut butter of choice
- 1/3 cup (105 g) maple syrup or agave syrup
- 4 tbsp (24 g) cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1/8 to 1/2 cup (120 ml) plant-based milk (amount depends on consistency / read instructions)
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- You can watch the video in the post for visual instructions.I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Check the step-by-step process shots above in the blog post.
- Process all dry ingredients in a food processor or blender for a couple of seconds. Transfer the dry ingredients to a big bowl.
- Whisk the coconut milk and agave syrup together in a bowl and pour it over the dry ingredients. Give the mixture a good stir (you can also use a hand mixer if you want).
- Grate the zucchini and add it to the batter. Stir with a spoon (don't use a blender or food processor).
- Grease a 7-inch or 8-inch springform with some oil or line it with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the springform and bake it in the oven at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 45 minutes (check the center of the cake with a toothpick after 40 minutes to see if it's cooked already).Note: If you have two 7-inch or 8-inch pans, then split the batter in half and pour it into each pan. This way, you won't need to cut the cake in the middle. The baking time will be less if you use two pans.
- Let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes. Then carefully cut cake layers with a large knife or use dental floss (like I did).
- Process all ingredients for the frosting in your food processor or high-speed blender until you have a thick, fluffy, and creamy frosting. If you use white sweet potatoes (which are very starchy) you will need more plant-based milk (I used 1/2 cup, but you might need even more). If you use orange sweet potatoes,1/4 cup plant-based milk should be enough.
- Frost the cake and enjoy! Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Notes
- Some readers reported that they made the cake successfully with all-purpose flour. Cassava flour seems to work fine too. One reader reported that almond flour is unfortunately not working in this recipe.
- You can use any granulated sweetener of choice, for example, cane sugar, date sugar, etc.
- You can use 66 grams of ground nuts or seeds of choice instead of shredded unsweetened coconut.
- I recommend using canned coconut milk, however, you can also use different plant-based milk with the addition of 3 tablespoons of oil.
- I didn't drain zucchini but if yours is very watery it's recommended to drain it.
- The Nutrition Facts are for one slice if you cut the cake into 12 slices. Calculation includes the frosting! Without the frosting, the cake has approximately 213 kcal and 6.8 grams fat per slice.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Equipment
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!IF YOU ARE USING PINTEREST, FEEL FREE TO PIN THE FOLLOWING PHOTO:
I just made this for my friends Birthday and Im excited to try it! The cake looks great and I pretty much followed the recipe, almost tried quinoa flour cause thats what I have but I happened to find the last bag of brown rice flour at the store so I bought it and used that. Still wonder how it might turn out with quinoa instead? For the frosting I baked the yam and drained off as much of the liquid as I could but the frosting still turned out runny without adding any milk???? I probably doubled the cacoa powder cause I like it chocolatey and I added more sweetner but I was still concerned about the consistancy so I melted some coconut butter and added that and a bit of instant coffee to give it an extra rich flavor. I put it in the fridge to thicken it before I frost the cake. I figure if its too thick ill just whip it up again. Taking this cake camping at the natural hotsprings tomorrow and I think with everything in it this is going to be like a whole meal for us!????
Hi Diana, quinoa flour might work too, but I never tried it. It sounds like the sweet potato wasn’t as starchy, mine always is. 🙂
I hope you will like the cake. 🙂
The cake turned out amasing and everyone loved it! Im making it again for another Birthday tomorrow. This is the 1st time I have measured ingredients for a recipe but I feel like this one is so perfect Im sticking with the specifics???? I think the consistancy of the batter depends on how watery your zucchini is and I like that you give the option of squeezing off the liquid or not….some recipes suggest either or. The second time I made it the batter was a bit thick so I just added some of the zuc juice until it was the perfect consistancy. I really love this frotsing, its a nice change from choc avo icing or the coconut cream whipped with melted chocolate! This one is rich and healthy!!
Hi Diana, I am so glad you love the cake! Thanks so much for your thorough feedback and your lovely words. I appreciate it! 🙂
Can I use canned coconut cream instead of canned coconut/dairy free milk for the frosting?
Yes, I think that should work fine. 🙂
Hey Ela!
Made this cake a couple of times and absolutely love it! My only problem is that the cake turns out a little dry and crumbles when I cut it. What would you advise me to do to make it more moist ? Thank you!!!♥️
Hello Marina, I am glad you love it! You could add a little oil to make it moister. 🙂
Ela,
Have just made this recipe…using scale to weigh ingredients. My frosting seems to be runny and being new to planted based eating I am not sure how to correct. I would appreciate any suggestions. Can’t wait to try…batter was delish!!
Hi Stacy, you could add more cocoa powder until it’s thicker.
Hi Ela,
I just made your recipe for the cake and found that the batter was very thick. I didnt have brown rice, so used rice flour instead
I weighed all ingredients and used canned full cream coconut milk. I feel that the milk used needed to be more watery? My zucchini shreds were also visible after baking, unlike your pictured cake. I had hand grated the zucchini, perhaps in needed to be finer?0 The taste is pleasant though and any insight would be greatly appreciated to improve my next attempt.
Hi Denise, it sounds like your creamy coconut milk was too thick, you can use a lighter version next time. Also, try brown rice flour, it might make a difference. 🙂
I made this cake last week and I’m in love! I added chocolate chips to the batter. I want to try to use the same recipe but sub bananas for the zucchini and omit the chocolate (one of my daughters is allergic). Any advice? Do you think the bananas with have enough moisture?
Hello Anna, I am so glad you loved it! Do you mean allergic to chocolate or also to cocoa powder? I am not sure how the cake turns out without cocoa powder. If she is allergic to cocoa powder too, then I would rather recommend making vegan banana bread (without the chocolate chips). 🙂
You could use carob powder to substitute cocoa.
Great idea! 🙂
Hi Ela, this recipe looks amazing! Please could you let me know what I may use as a substitute for shredded coconut? Will omitting it entirely have any impact on the final cake?
Hello! As mentioned in the recipe notes, you can use any ground nuts or seeds of choice. 🙂
Would pumpkin work in the frosting in lieu of the sweet potato?
Hi Amanda, I think it should be fine, but I would definitely use less plant-based milk. 🙂
Hi, I’m really excited to make this recipe soon. I was wondering if the granulated sugar is needed for structure of the cake, or only for sweetener? Would I be able to use liquid maple syrup in lieu of granulated sugar? Unfortunately, I’m allergic to coconut, so coconut sugar isn’t an option for me.. Thank you 🙂 I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Amber, I am not sure if a liquid sweetener would work, as I never tried it in this recipe. But I just read that someone who commented tried it, and it seemed to work just fine. 🙂 You could also use Erythritol (e.g. Swerve) or try the maple syrup. 🙂
Thank you. I forgot to ask about xanthan gum . . . my 1:1 gluten free baking mix has xanthan gum in it, do you think this will change the result in terms of moisture? We like a nice moist cake 🙂 which is what this recipe seems to be.
Hi Amber, I think that should be totally fine. It might even turn out better or rise slightly more. 🙂
Hi Ela, I just thought I’d update . . . This recipe is very moist and delicious, thank you 🙂 I tried my 1:1 mix, and unfortunately, I do not recommend using a mix with xanthan gum (incase anyone else is curious), as it gave the cake a “marshmallow-y” texture. But that was my own fault as my flour was different than what the recipe called for. I’m sure the texture would have been better without the xanthan gum. Tasted great other wise. I hope this helps future bakers – I’m not very experienced with gluten free baking, but followed the weighted measurements and it would have worked out perfectly had I not used a mix that contained xanthan gum. I will finish my decadent chocolate marshmallow, and follow the recipe’s ingredients more carefully next time 🙂 The frosting was incredibly delicious!
Thanks so much for the update, that’s very kind of you, Amber! 🙂
Kind regards,
Ela
Hi
I’m trying this recipe TMW and I’m so excited and a bit scared as I’m not a big Baker.
In your opinion can I make this whole cake a day beforehand? Especially the Frosting I read on different websites that it’s better to do it right before serving. Is this true? I’m also thinking of putting some blueberries on top. I guess it’s best to do that just before serving right? Thanks I basically don’t know anything about baking haha. Thanks
Hi Trui, you can make it a day beforehand, that’ no problem. As long as you cover the cake, it should be fine. I keep it in the fridge since I live in the tropics, and the frosting does harden slightly. Yes, add the blueberries right before serving. 🙂
So I’m not accustomed to baking by weight and when I weigh the ingredients, they don’t equal the cup measurements. My rice flour measured over 1 1/2 cups, and my coconut sugar measured less than 1 cup. Do I need a new scale or just choose to follow weight vs cup measuring?
Hey Dawn! Please follow the weight measurements. Our rice flour isn’t finely ground, so the cup measurements might differ. The weight measurements are accurate. 🙂
What do you mean cut the cake with floss? Did you put frosting in between layers? Thanks
Yes! Put the frosting between two layers. It’s best to bake the cake in two pans, so you don’t have to cut it. 🙂
Ela, any recommendations for nuts/ seeds in place unsweetened shredded coconut? cz my kid sensitive with coconut so I highly avoiding anything with coconut.
Hi Lisa, please check the recipe notes below, where I offer different options. 🙂
Can I used unbleached almond flour or can I simply omit this ground nut?
Yes, you can use unbleached almond flour. Do not omit it. 🙂
Hi
What liquid to use, if I wanna completely omit zucchini. And can normal white rice flour is fine?
Thank you,
Shraddha
Hi! I wouldn’t recommend omitting the zucchini, but you can add pumpkin instead. White rice flour won’t be as good in this recipe as brown rice flour.
Thank you ela for prompt reply…????????
I meant to ask is what if I don’t wanna add zucchini / carrot/ sweet potato etc….
Can you help with alternative like increase in flour qty or some liquid qty. Or add yogurt etc
Thank you
Shraddha
I am sorry, but I can’t answer this question since I haven’t tried it. Yogurt might work, but you’ll need to experiment. 🙂
Hi Instead if zucchini can I use carrots or cucumber as zucchinis are not available right now in my hometown?
Yes, you can use carrots. I would not recommend cucumber though. 🙂
Any thoughts on using oat flour? Thx!
Hi Amy, I never tried it, so you would need to experiment. 🙂
How did this work I want to try it
Made this yesterday as cupcakes for my boyfriend’s birthday. Turned out delicious- So moist and decadent! My boyfriend loves chocolate chips so I added that to the batter as well. I used Peanut butter for the frosting and I couldn’t stop eating it. Yum. Thank you for all the delicious recipes. I so appreciate your blog and all the GF, vegan healthy recipes!
That’s fantastic, Crystal! I am glad the cupcakes turned out delicious. 🙂
Hi, how can I replace zucchini
You could use grated carrot or pumpkin instead of zucchini.
bad news. this cake did NOT turn out at all. after 45 min it was bubbling in the oven and the edges had crept up the side of the pan. I kept adding 5 minute increments to see if it would cook but after double the listed baking time, no results. I see that most reviews are positive, so this must have been my error. I did use almond flour instead, but I dont believe that is the problem. My zucchini was very watery and I think there was too much water in the batter, as it was very liquidy. I didn’t drain the zucchini as it didn’t say so in the recipe, but I think that is a must especially if yours is more watery than usual.
Hi Katie, I am pretty sure it was the almond flour! I think someone tried it out before and it didn’t work, which is no surprise because almond flour is totally different from rice flour. Almond flour = 100% ground almonds that have over 50% fat. It’s not comparable to rice flour at all. I hope you will give it another try with the ingredients mentioned in the recipe because it works great. 🙂
Hi! Thanks for the recipe. Excited to try it. Have you ever used carbonated water to make gluten- free cakes rise? Like maybe replacing some of the coconut milk/liquid in a recipe. It’s worked in pancakes for me but I’ve never baked a GF cake before
I have tried it in the past but not for GF/vegan recipes. I should give it another try. 🙂
Hi ela
Made it for a second time in two weeks….it was even better this time round since I had a new otg…..I have two questions…I have extra frosting left what can I do with it and can I freeze part of the cake for later.
Thanks
Meghana
Hi Meghana! Yes, you can freeze the cake, that’ fine. You can use the frosting for muffins to make cupcakes but you can also freeze it. 🙂
Awesome recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing Ela. Made it today for my boyfriend’s mom and it was a hit.
The cake was super rich and flavorful. I did it with things we had at home to avoid the stores, so used regular flour and 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar.
I also had to do another vegan frosting (chocolate chips, tofu, cashews and maple syrup) as I didn’t have sweet potatoes but it was still amazing and very easy to make!
This has been my first cake (ever) made from scratch. Thanks for being my inspiration of my new and vegan creations!
Kudos on your website ????????
My pleasure, Nati! I am glad you loved the cake. Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Hi! Thank you for this recipe it was a hit on Mother’s Day! I made it with cassava flour instead because the first time round I used sweet rice flour but that turned out terrible the inside didn’t cook at all was thinking of steaming it next time if I use white rice flour, have you tried steaming? But thank you again love this cake! I’ll have to try the rest of your recipes 🙂
Hey Claire, no, I never tried steaming. I am so glad it turned out amazing with Cassava flour, I should give that a try!
So happy the cake was a hit. 🙂
I’ll try steaming the next time when I make it out of sweet white rice flour & let you know how it turns out 🙂
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday, and everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing this, it’s hard to find something good to make with so many dietary restrictions, and a picky eater in the house! And the picky 4 year old even loved it!!
So happy it turned out delicious. Thanks for your feedback! 🙂