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Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

May 31, 2016 31 Comments

ZucchiniCakebrnded

Scroll down to watch the step-by-step video.

My intention with this recipe was to make a brownie packed with some zucchini but it turns out the texture and flavor was much more like devils food cake, so I decided to call it Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake instead.


You would never believe there is 2 cups of zucchini packed into this cake.  It’s super rich, chocolate-y, and moist and tastes nothing like a vegetable.

It’s a great snack to pack when you’re on the go and makes the perfect partner to a great cup of coffee.

 

Print Recipe

Choate Zucchini Snack Cake

Yield: 16 pieces

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This cake is even better when it's cold, so be sure to store it in the fridge.

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini (about 11 ounces or  2 medium sized zucchini
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips + 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top

Directions:

  1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and coat and 8x8 baking dish with coconut oil or cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, vanilla, coconut sugar, and apple sauce.  Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until everything is just combined.
  4. Gently fold the zucchini and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips into the batter.  Pour the batter into the baking pan and sprinkle the remaining chips over the top.
  5. Pop in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until set through.  Cool and enjoy.
Nutrients per 1/16th of cake: Calories: 117; Total Fat: 4.1g; Saturated Fat: 2.3g; Cholesterol: 26mg; Carbohydrate: 20g; Dietary Fiber: 2.2g; Sugars: 12.4g; Protein: 2.8g

Did you make this recipe? Snap a picture and tag @CleanAndDelicious on Instagram.
I LOVE to seeing your C&D creations. ❤︎ Dani

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Reader Interactions

31 Comments

  1. Lyn

    June 2, 2016 at 11:45 am

    Hi Dani, I have been following your blog for the last month and everything I have made from your site has been fantastic and has received rave reviews from my family. Excellent job! I just want to double check that the zucchini snack cake requires a tablespoon of vanilla. 

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      June 3, 2016 at 2:36 am

      Hi Lyn, I’m so happy to hear that! I’m glad you and your family are enjoying the recipes. And yes, there is 1 tbsp of vanilla in the snack cake 🙂

  2. Nichole

    June 3, 2016 at 11:01 am

    Hi Dani I’m a new follower to your blog and every one of your recipes has come out amazingly good. I was wondering if you had a cookbook out and if not have you thought about publishing one?

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      June 3, 2016 at 11:31 pm

      Welcome Nichole! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes! I don’t have a cookbook out yet, but hopefully will soon… 🙂

  3. Jennifer Weise

    June 4, 2016 at 11:58 pm

    Do you peel the zuchini first or grate as is?

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      June 6, 2016 at 12:23 pm

      I grate it as is.

  4. Kasia Michalec

    June 7, 2016 at 10:20 am

    I enjoy your recipies and use them a lot. I really like that this recipe uses a lot of zucchini. 
    I cook gluten free so I tried substituting gluten free flour blend for wheat flour and the cake came out a bit dry. I am committed to trying and I have made  it again. I have used 1/2 cup of apple sauce and added 1/4 cup of coconut oil.  I know it adds a bit extra sugar to the recipe from apple sauce and fat from the oil, but It made the cake deliciously moist.  Love it. 

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      June 8, 2016 at 1:50 am

      I’m so happy it finally worked out for you 🙂

  5. Vy

    June 9, 2016 at 1:10 am

    I was craving chocolate and these were the perfect healthy choice. I also had one large zucchini left over from making your turkey chili with veggies so had to make good use of the left over veggi. The mixture was a little dry so I added another serving of egg white ( I sub egg with egg whites and added a whole snack pack of unsweetened apple sauce. I love it, thank you Dani!!! Discovered your website last night and made two recipes today.

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      June 9, 2016 at 1:41 am

      Wow, you work quickly! So happy to have you and glad you enjoyed both recipes 🙂

  6. Liz

    June 10, 2016 at 1:16 pm

    So delicious and so easy! Also, your red lipstick is ON POINT in that video!

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      June 12, 2016 at 2:59 pm

      Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂

  7. Carrie

    June 20, 2016 at 8:48 pm

    My sister in law clued me in to this website and I am feeling great eating much more clean food!
    i made these tonight and they are delicious! I’ve never used coconut sugar, so I used brown sugar. I was wondering what the benefits are for using coconut sugar vs white sugar or brown sugar?
    Thanks!
    Also, I would definitely buy your cookbook!!!

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      June 21, 2016 at 6:19 pm

      Hi Carrie – coconut sugar simply offers more trace nutrients and mineral and is slightly less processed. But technically, sugar is sugar and the body reads it mostly all the same. I like coconut sugar because it’s slightly better quality then the others. However, it is more expensive. Bottom line – all sugar – no mater what you choose – should be eaten moderately, not a staple;)

  8. Cheryl

    June 21, 2016 at 3:20 pm

    Hi Dani. Love your site! Thanks for all you do to help us keep eating clean. 

    I’m interested in making the Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake and was curious if you used hard white wheat or soft white wheat (pastry) flour.

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      June 21, 2016 at 6:19 pm

      I used hard wheat!

  9. SweetSavoryMe

    June 21, 2016 at 5:47 pm

    This looks like a wonderful recipe and I definitely plan to try it! Quick question…might you have a recommendation for switching out the eggs? The rest is perfect!

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      June 21, 2016 at 6:20 pm

      I’m not really sure. However, I have had some readers tell me they swapped in flax eggs with success. Would love to hear what you try and how goes.

  10. Maggie

    June 22, 2016 at 7:18 pm

    Howdy, Dani, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada! I’d like to thank you for your dedication and hard work at teaching us how to eat healthy, yet tasty, food. I wish I had more time to follow your videos and FB posts more often … darn work gets in the way… lol… but I certainly enjoy hearing about your ideas, tips, and your recipes when time permits. Also, I appreciate your humble approach and down-to-earth attitude. Keeping it “real” goes a long ways, in my books.

    My question is: Is there a substitute for apple sauce? I made some cookies once with apple sauce, and I didn’t really like the texture … too soft/soggy. Perhaps there is something a little more solidifying?

    Keep up the great work! Thanks again for your time and effort at promoting a healthy lifestyle and great food! Cheers to you!

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      June 26, 2016 at 11:26 pm

      Hi Maggie! Thanks so much for your feedback! You can definitely substitute applesauce with another fruit puree, although, it will probably have the same consistency…

  11. Marge

    July 31, 2016 at 1:37 am

    Hi Dani, I forget how I discovered you but boy, what an introduction. I made the chocolate zucchini snack cake tonight and just took it out of the oven. I didn’t tweak your recipe at all. The wet & dry ingredients blended so-so and it was a sticky chore but boy, when I dumped the shredded zucchini in and got in there with my hands, it blended great. After 30 minutes it was seemingly not done according to the toothpick I gave it 5 more minutes with trying the toothpick. I was afraid it would burn. It looks really good and I can”t wait to try it. I’ll be back tomorrow with a review!

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      August 2, 2016 at 10:43 am

      Hi Marge! I hope the cake worked for you and that you enjoyed it…. its a favorite in my house.

  12. Alex Shaw

    August 8, 2016 at 5:06 pm

    Hi Dani, firstly I must say I love your videos and blog posts in fact all your platforms! You are an inspiration and thank you for all the great recipes and foodie ideas you share. My question is, I’m planning to give the zucchini snack cake a try and I happen to have (the normal brown) wholemeal flour and wholemeal spelt flour in my cupboard could I use either of these? Many thanks Alex 

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      August 9, 2016 at 1:00 pm

      Hi Alex! Unfortunately, I don’t think either can be used as an even swap. The spelt can take place up to half of the wheat and the almond would definitely require tweaking some of the other ingredients. I don;t know off of the top of my head the measurements, it would take a little trial and error. I would love to hear what your results are if you give it a go.

  13. Marge

    August 29, 2016 at 10:45 pm

    Okay, Dani, I’ve made your chocolate zucchini snack cake twice now and it is FAB and a GIANT HIT. This time I used 1/2C applesauce and 7 1/2 T sugar (1/2C = 8T). Also, I shredded several zucchinis with food processor and froze them in 2C glass containers. I have 2 more containers left in freezer. So much faster and easier than that box grater. When it thaws out, there’s lots of liquid and I did not drain it. I baked it in an 8″ x 9″ glass baking dish for 35 minutes and it came out great, very cakey, not pudding-like as I thought it might because of the extra liquid from the applesauce and zucchini juice. Out the 16 slices, I gave away 12, so will make another one tomorrow. I’ll lower the sugar to 7T and see what I think. I use dark chocolate cocoa power and dark chocolate chips. Definitely sticking with that. It’s LUSCIOUS!!! THANK YOU!

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      September 10, 2016 at 2:09 pm

      Sounds amazing Marge! So glad you are enjoying it.

  14. Marge

    October 4, 2016 at 11:40 pm

    So, Dani, I”ve made your Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake 7 times and it’s a majorly huge hit. I use 7 tablespoons of sugar (8T = 1/2 cup) and 1/2 cup of applesauce. Also, I pack the zucchini down LIKE CRAZY and it could possibly be 3C prepacked! I grate a whole bunch of zucchinis in food processor (the large hole shredding blade) and store 2C containers in freezer. It’s amazing how much zucchini can be packed down. I take a container out of freezer into refrigerator a day or two before I’m going to make a cake and don’t discard ANY of the liquid (there’s tons of it). I bake for 37 minutes and the toothpick comes out clean (slightly discolored of course but no solids on the toothpick) and let it sit on counter for 30-60 minutes; then cut it into 16 pieces, eat 4 of them (oh yes I do!) and put it in the fridge. THE BEST!! Thank you so much!! (I use the dark chocolate cocoa powder from Beanilla, King Arthur’s organic unbleached white whole wheat flour, and Vitacost semisweet chocolate mini chips.)

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      October 7, 2016 at 12:30 am

      Thanks so much for sharing, Marge! I’m so happy it’s a huge hit!!

  15. Charlene

    July 28, 2017 at 10:45 pm

    Hi Dani,
    Oh my goodness! I just made this amazing chocolate zucchini snack cake with fresh grown zucchini from my garden tonight. And it came out awesome! So moist and light and delicious!
    Thank you so much for this recipe. I love it! 😀

    reply to this comment
  16. CJ

    October 19, 2017 at 6:08 am

    Hi Dani! I am following your Youtube channel, FB page and your website. It is amaaazing!!! Your recipes are yummy and doable. You make it possible to eat clean and delicious recipes. You are an inspiration.

    I tried this recipe and it was great! My husband loved it! 🙂

    I made some alternative to the egg and flour though. I used chia egg (2T ground chia : 6T water) and 1cup ground rolled oatmeal. The consitency of the middle cake is mushy/too soft/soggy.

    Would like to ask for a wild guess/recommendation from you on the measurement of the chia egg and oatmeal flour to make the consistency less soggy. Thank you. 🙂

    reply to this comment
    • Dani

      October 19, 2017 at 7:54 am

      Hmmmm, maybe try cutting back on the flax egg? That may help to reduce the moisture a bit! That OR maybe increase the cooking time? I would love to hear how it goes if you try again. 🙂

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