You’re either going to love me or hate me for this post. ย Why? ย Because this grain-free chocolate cake which just so happens to have zucchini in it is AMAZING. ย You will love how rich and chocolaty it is, ย how moist and tender. ย You will be utterly amazed that this cake has no flour of any kind and that there is zucchini in it. ย Zucchini! ย  It is sweetened with maple syrup and that’s all. ย After your first bite, you might exclaim, “Three cheers for Pamela!”

All the ingredients -- one bowl

Orrrrrrr, you will find this cake, which is more like a cross between a brownie and cake, completely irresistible and TOO amazing. ย You will walk by it on the countertop and find the uncontrollable need to even out all the edges until you are left with a mere crumb. ย But you’ll convince yourself it’s healthful! ย It contains almond butter and zucchini. ย Zucchini! ย And you will not be able to stop eating it. ย The next time you make it you will freeze most of it so that you are not tempted by its chocolaty goodness and inhale three-fourths of it before the kids get home. ย But you cannot stop dreaming about this cake so you find out it even taste good FROZEN because there is no waiting when it comes to this cake. ย And after you eat all of the frozen cake, you might exclaim, “I curse the day I met Pamela! ย Darn this chocolate amazingness!”

Batter

 

Grain-free Chocolate Zucchini Cake | Pamela Salzman

And that’s what I’m talking about.

Even Mr. Picky himself went crazy for this cake. ย I actually came clean and told him there was zucchini in here and he didn’t care!! ย If you are nut-free, don’t sweat. ย Substitute sunflower butter in an equal amount and it will work perfectly. ย Sunflower butter does have a slightly nuttier flavor, almost like peanut butter. ย But I when I made the cake with sunflower butter for some nut-free people, they couldn’t detect it. ย Make it. ย Devour it. Love it. ย Share it. ย Tell me all about it.

Grain-free Chocolate Zucchini Cake | Pamela Salzman

Grain-free Chocolate Zucchini Cake | Pamela Salzman

5 from 23 votes

Grain-free Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe and VIDEO

By Pamela

Ingredients 

  • coconut oil or butter for greasing pan
  • 1 cup creamy, unsweetened, unsalted almond butter, raw or roasted, or sunflower butter for a nut-free cake
  • 1/3 cup pure Grade A maple syrup or raw honey
  • ยผ cup raw cacao or cocoa powder
  • ยผ teaspoon fine ground sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder, optional
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ยฝ cups of shredded zucchini, about 2 small
  • 1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9-inch pan. If you want to remove the cake from the pan in one piece, line it with unbleached parchment paper as well.
  • In a large bowl combine the almond butter, maple syrup, cacao powder, salt, coffee powder, egg, vanilla, and baking soda until smooth.
  • Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.
  • Pour into prepared pan and bake until just set and a toothpick comes out clean or with dry crumbs. Do not overbake. A 9 x 9 pan will take 35-45 minutes. An 8 x 8 pan will take 40-50 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Notes

Notes: You can also add ยฝ cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter.
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125 Comments

  1. Alayne L says:

    Hi Pamela, do I peel the zucchini?

    1. Pamela says:

      Hi Alayne. No. It’s not necessary to peel or squeeze the zucchini. Hope you enjoy this! It’s one of my favorites.

  2. Nina Heinz says:

    Could i add almond pulp to this? Iโ€™m one of those looking for almond pulp recipes . Youโ€™re the best thanks!!

    1. Pamela says:

      Maybe. I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure if it would work.
      Let me know if you give it a try, Nina.

  3. Julia Boose says:

    5 stars
    I found this cake on someone else blog (with credit given to you) and I figured she had left something out in the translation, so came to your website to look. Nope.
    What an unbelievable joy this flipping cake is – I love it so so much!!!

    1. Pamela says:

      haha! Honestly, I don’t even know how it works, but it’s our favorite!