Just a couple of days ago I tore off yet another page from the big family calendar hanging on my kitchen wall to reveal a fresh, new month. There’s something cathartic about that process of tearing off the messy scribbles from a month finished, to reveal a pristine new one. That simple experience gives me unexpected pleasure. The first thing I always do to the clean new page is go through and mark significant days. Today, August 3rd, got a sparkly flash of glitter washi tape. I put it on there without even thinking because I’ve been doing that for 30-something years now. August 3rd is my Mom’s birthday. She would have turned 61 today.
As I spoke at her funeral last fall, I spotted my grandmother, her Mom, near the front of the chapel and I smiled at her while I recounted a vivid memory. I was probably 13 or so when my Grandma was in town for a visit. She had made her famous chocolate-chocolate-chocolate Bundt cake the night before (the inspiration for this holiday version) and when I came down to the kitchen the next morning I found my Mom in her pajamas, digging into a big slice of cake. Because if there’s one thing she taught me, it’s that chocolate cake makes the best breakfast.
I followed right along and started serving myself a piece as she walked with her plate into the adjoining butlers pantry to do something. Right at that moment my grandma came down the stairs and in shock and horror, asked what on earth I was doing chowing down on cake at 9am.
“If your Mother only knew what you were doing right now, eating cake for breakfast?!”
Without saying a word I stealthily shifted my glance to the butlers pantry where my Mom was standing just out of sight from my grandma. I will never forget our eyes aligning as she stood frozen, like a toddler caught with her hand in the candy jar. She licked some stray frosting off her lips and with wide eyes and holding in laughter, shook her head in a desperate plea and slowly backed away as if I had never seen her.
I took one for the team that morning and ate a bowl of oatmeal for Grandma. Later we told her what had happened and we laughed hysterically for years afterwards about it. I guess mothers are always mothers!
My mom loved chocolate and any excuse to eat more of it. I’ve decided I’ll eat cake every August 3rd forever. And then for breakfast on August 4th. I was thinking about her when I made this cake because I know she would have loved this.
It’s packed with a generous amount of zucchini, which keeps it incredibly moist, even for days after (again, breakfast!)
Aside from having a rich cocoa flavor, it’s also studded with chunks of chocolate,
and then drizzled with the perfect amount of this fabulous glaze. This is actually the same glaze that goes with the original chocolate-chocolate-chocolate bundt cake my grandma always made.
This is one of my most favorite cakes. It’s great alone, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
And because it’s super rich, you can slice it thin and it feeds a lot of people!
I hope you make it. I hope you love it. And I hope you save a piece for breakfast.
Happy birthday, Mom.
Ingredients Needed
- Cake
- All-purpose flour
- Cocoa powder
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Canola oil
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Sour cream
- Shredded zucchini
- Mini chocolate chips
- Glaze
- Water
- Coconut oil or butter
- Light corn syrup
- Powdered sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
How to Make a Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake
- First you’ll prepare a Bundt pan by buttering it thoroughly and dusting with cocoa powder.
- Whisk together some flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, you’ll mix up your wet ingredients: oil, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
- The zucchini, chocolate chips and dry ingredients are then added into the batter and then it all gets transferred to the Bundt pan and popped into the oven.
- Once the cake has cooled for a few minutes, you can whip up the glaze (water, coconut oil or butter, light corn syrup, powdered sugar and cocoa powder) and drizzle it on.
Storing and Other Tips
- This cake actually tastes best when it is all the way cool. And I think it’s even better the next day! Just keep it well covered to store overnight.
- Glazing tip: There has been a lot of questions about what temperature the cake should be for glazing. I wouldn’t glaze it the second it comes out of the oven, but it is okay to add the glaze when it’s just a little warm. I actually really like to slowly brush on half the glaze while it’s warm so it kind of soaks it up and then the rest when it’s cooled. If it’s melting off more than you’d like then just wait a little longer!
Frequently Asked Questions
Most experts recommend aluminum or coated steel Bundt pans for best Bundt results. Although you can find Bundt pans in glass or other materials, the metal pans conduct heat most efficiently for even baking.
Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoons table salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ cup canola oil
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 4 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Glaze
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil or butter
- 1 ½ tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter the inside of a bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or hand mixer) combine oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Mix to combine and then stir in sour cream just until blended.
- Add zucchini until just combined. Add all but about 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until just incorporated. Add chocolate chips to the remaining tablespoon of dry ingredients and toss to coat them and then stir them into the batter.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake. Timing may vary based on your size and style of bundt pan, your oven, and the moisture content in your zucchini. Mine usually takes 70-75 minutes. Keep an eye on it and check doneness with a skewer- you want to see moist crumbs attached. I would set a timer and watch after about 50 minutes.
- Let cake cool on a rack for about 10 minutes and then invert to remove from bundt.
Glaze
- Combine coconut oil/butter, corn syrup and water in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for about 30 seconds in the microwave and then beat in powdered sugar and cocoa powder with a hand mixer. Let cool for a minute or two until it's a good glazing consistency and then drizzle over cake. See notes for a glazing tip.
Notes
- Glazing tip: There has been a lot of questions about what temperature the cake should be for glazing. I wouldn’t glaze it the second it comes out of the oven, but it is okay to add the glaze when it’s just a little warm. I actually really like to slowly brush on half the glaze while it’s warm so it kind of soaks it up and then the rest when it’s cooled. If it’s melting off more than you’d like then just wait a little longer!
- This cake actually tastes best when it is all the way cool. And I think it’s even better the next day! Just keep it well covered to store overnight.
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
Made it, love it and love the story behind the recipe. Your mom had great taste!!!!
Boy, you had me in tears recalling your mom’s memory. I lost my dear mom a couple of years ago and I can relate. She and I were always cooking or talking about recipes, favorite foods. I think about her when I’m cooking or baking. I’ll definitely be making your luscious cake and thinking about our moms. 🙂
I loved it but maybe cut the icing in half
Your story about your mom and grandma touched my heart. Tomorrow is my mother’s birthday – she has been gone for 48 years…when I was a child I would not eat eggs – they just grossed me out…and mom was so afraid I would be malnourished without them…and so…I was banished to the kitchen to eat alone, where my brothers would not see that I ate angel food cake to “get my eggs”. All my relatives looked down on this practice but my health was a testament that it worked, wink, wink. I will make your cake tomorrow to celebrate my mom and eat a piece in bed at night and again for breakfast to celebrate your family!
Do I need to let the beautiful cake cool before I glaze it?
I wouldn’t glaze it the second it comes out of the oven, but it is okay to add the glaze when it’s just a little warm. I actually really like to slowly brush on half the glaze while it’s warm so it kind of soaks it up and then the rest when it’s cooled. If it’s melting off more than you’d like then just wait a little longer!
Wonderful recipe and easy to follow. Makes a beautiful cake that will get rave reviews. It’s one of my favorite ways to use up zucchini when my garden is producing an abundance. This cake stays moist but there usually aren’t any leftovers! Enjoy
I have made this recipe many times, i love it, so great for a garden loaded with zucchini, I just wanted to say “Thank you” for sharing a great recipe and your heart warming memories, it made me cry.
My kitchen smells delicious! I just finished making 2 cakes and they are in the oven! One I added cinnamon and honey bourbon instead of vanilla, we shall see! I am making them for my friends.
Today is my son’s 10th birthday, and he requested this cake, like he has for the past few years! It’s his favorite cake ever, he says. Thanks for a great recipe and a great tradition for our family.
This cake is soooooo delicious!!! I have so much zucchini that I’ll be making this every chance I get!