Triple Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

Oh dear Lord, this Triple Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake is good. Like lick the plate good. Like I ate it for dinner two nights in a row good. Like I had to give the rest of it away because I couldn’t stop eating it good. I’m pretty much telling you this is the BEST chocolate zucchini cake I’ve ever had.

I made no less than three chocolate zucchini cakes over the last month, tinkering with recipes, adjusting ingredients until I got just what I wanted. High altitude baking can be fickle. As can baking with zucchini. I wanted a cake that was moist- but not too moist- since zucchini cakes have a tendency to get too wet. I knew I wanted frosting and lastly, I wanted a cake that would be successful whether I baked it in a 9 x 13 or a bundt pan. I present to you the pay off of all my hard work: The ultimate Triple Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake. This, my high altitude baking friends, is a total winner and a recipe you need in your arsenal.

I often talk on the blog about how cooking is my “thing”. Not just my job. It’s what I fall back on when I’m stressed or upset or just need to reset. Standing in front of a stove or oven grounds me and I’m lucky that I’ve figure out a way to make my living doing something I love. With the remodel almost behind us and our second move in a year coming up this week, my kitchen endeavors have been futile at best this summer. With the exception of the rare baked treat and whatever make shift meals I can come up with on the fly, I just haven’t been cooking that much. Forget about laundry and showering on the daily. Because they SO ain’t happening either. Feeling pretty grateful for ponytail holders and old t-shirts right now.

But what about the big bag of zucchini I was gifted by a friend that grew too much? I couldn’t let it go to waste. My favorite way to prepare it is to simply sauté it in butter with garlic and onion. Or shaved thin and eaten raw on bruschetta or in a salad. But after that? Let’s get our baked goods on. Bars, cookies, bread…CAKE! I love just about any baked good that involves shredded zucchini. You can hardly detect the vegetable in your dessert but it lends just the right bit of texture and a whole lot of moisture. Gah, I hate that word. So even though I’ve hardly cooked anything this summer, I’ve somehow managed to make chocolate zucchini cake three times until I got it right. Cake baking totally takes precedence over the laundry and shower, don’t you think? (Don’t answer that.)

This is most definitely a cake for the high altitude bakers out there. With so many chocolate zucchini cakes out there- and there’s a ton!- I adjusted this one for all my mountain folk. It’s not too sweet, it has a great crumb without being too moist and it bakes up well in both a bundt pan or 9×13. Cocoa powder, mini chocolate chips and a pourable milk chocolate frosting, this cake doesn’t skimp. It’s rich, decadent and if I do say so myself, f’ing awesome. Yeah, it’s that good.

So even though I’m growing dreads and wearing the same shirt for the third day in a row, I have cake. And all is right in the world.

Triple Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews

• Yield: 12-16 servings 1x

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Description

A triple chocolate zucchini bundt cake that has been adapted for high altitude. This cake is unbelievable!

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Ingredients

Cake:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 8 oz creme fraiche or sour cream
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 cups powdered sugar

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In bowl of stand mixer beat butter, oil and sugar together until smooth- about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs and continue mixing until smooth and combined, scraping sides as needed. Add the flour mixture, alternately with the creme fraiche or sour cream, mixing after each addition until just mixed in. Fold in shredded zucchini and mini chocolate chips.
4. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and let it cool on a baking rack for 20 minutes before removing it from pan.
5. To make the frosting, melt butter, milk, and cocoa powder over medium heat. Stir frequently until chocolate is smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar until there are no more lumps.
6. Pour frosting over the still warm bundt cake, taking care to cover the cake evenly. It’s cool if the frosting pools in the center of the bundt cake- easier to stick your finger in!
7. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.

Notes

This cake has been modified for high altitude. I tested it multiple times in my kitchen which sits just below 7000 feet. To make it at sea level, increase sugar by 2-3 tablespoons, decrease vanilla to 1 teaspoon and increase baking powder to 1 teaspoon. Follow directions as written.

recipe adapted from ” target=”_blank”>Cookies and Cups.