Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

Name: Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 1¾ cups granulated sugar (I use a little less — I don’t like my cakes too sweet); ¼ cup vegetable oil; ¼ cup butter, softened; 2 large eggs; ¼ cup buttermilk; 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste; 1½ cups all-purpose flour; ¼ cup unsweetened raw cocoa powder; ½ tsp baking soda; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp ground cloves; 2 cups finely shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini); Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, to taste; 1 good-quality milk chocolate bar, chopped; 1 cup milk; 1 cup heavy whipping cream; 2–3 tbsp powdered sugar, or to taste; About 3 tbsp cornstarch; 1 egg yolk; 2 tbsp butter

Incredibly moist and chocolatey, with hidden zucchini and a creamy homemade custard glaze.

Serves

Time

1 hr 15 min

This chocolate zucchini cake is incredibly moist, soft, and full of chocolate flavor. The zucchini keeps the cake tender without making it taste like vegetables, and I love using a combination of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped good-quality milk chocolate. I baked mine in a Bundt pan and finished it with a simple homemade creamy custard glaze — rich, chocolatey, and still not overly sweet.

Instructions

Prepare the batter

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease your Bundt pan very well, getting into all the grooves.
2
In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, vegetable oil, and softened butter.
3
Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
4
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa powder, then add the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves.
5
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined.
6
Fold in the finely shredded zucchini, then gently stir in the mini chocolate chips and chopped milk chocolate.

Bake

1
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
2
Bake at 350°F for about 50–55 minutes, up to an hour depending on your oven and pan. Check with a toothpick before removing.
3
Let the cake cool slightly in the pan, then carefully flip it onto a serving plate.

Make the custard glaze

1
I make the glaze while the cake bakes so it has time to cool a little.
2
In a saucepan, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and cornstarch until completely smooth.
3
Place over medium heat and keep whisking as it heats and begins to thicken.
4
Remove from the heat, add the egg yolk, and whisk immediately and constantly so it blends in smoothly.
5
Return to the heat for about 2 more minutes, whisking constantly.
6
Off the heat, stir in the 2 tbsp butter until melted and smooth.
7
Transfer to a bowl and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap so it doesn’t form a skin. Let it cool to about room temperature.

Finish the cake

1
While the cake is still slightly warm, pour the creamy custard glaze generously over the top.
2
Let the glaze run naturally down the sides, then slice and enjoy.

Toti’s Tips

✓I cut back the sugar a bit because the cocoa and both chocolates already bring plenty of sweetness, so you still get a rich cake that is not cloying.
✓Grease every groove of the Bundt pan well, including the center tube. Any bare spot is where the cake will stick and tear when you flip it.
✓The shredded zucchini keeps the crumb moist without tasting like vegetable because it mostly melts into the batter as it bakes, adding water and tenderness rather than flavor.
✓No buttermilk on hand? Stir a little lemon juice into regular milk and let it sit a few minutes. The acid thickens the milk and reacts with the baking soda the same way buttermilk does.
✓Start checking for doneness around 50 minutes instead of waiting for the full hour, since Bundt pans hold heat differently and an overbaked cake dries out fast.
✓When you make the custard, whisk in the egg yolk right off the heat and keep whisking. Adding it to a pot that is too hot can scramble the yolk instead of thickening the glaze smoothly.
✓Cover the finished custard with plastic wrap pressed right onto the surface so it does not form a skin while it cools.
✓Pour the glaze while the cake is still a little warm so it melts slightly and drips naturally down the ridges instead of sitting stiff on top.