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I know what you are thinking: courgette, in a cake? You are going to have to trust me on this one… I promise you can’t taste the (not so) secret ingredient in this Chocolate Courgette Cake. Although it initially sounds unusual, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, after all, who doesn’t love carrot cake? The addition of the grated courgette gives it the most unbelievably moist texture, but doesn’t detract from the rich and indulgent flavour we all love in a good chocolate cake.
I’ve written this recipe to include a tangy frosting made from melted chocolate and sour cream. This keeps it tart and not too sweet but complements the rest of the cake well. If you are also someone who loves a frosting to elevate a cake, you need to also check out my Banana Bread Bars with a Burnt Honey Cream on top. Delicious. As mentioned above, you won’t be able to taste the courgette in this cake but you will have the most lovely, moist cake texture.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- It is super simple and quick… It takes just 15 minutes to put together, then the oven works its magic.
- You don’t need a mixer and it is pretty much all made in one bowl.
- It is incredibly moist; the combination of grated courgettes, Greek yoghurt and vegetable oil makes for one of the moistest cakes you will ever eat.
- Healthy-ish – I am not going to pretend this is one of your 5 a day BUT adding courgettes is a good one to include more plant foods in your diet and help take care of our guts.
Ingredients:
See recipe card for the exact recipe with a full list of ingredients and measurements
Courgettes – also known as zucchini. I used regular green courgettes but you could use the yellow ones too. They tend to have a slightly sweeter flavour.
Caster sugar – I like to use caster (superfine) sugar in my cakes but you could use granulated sugar or golden caster sugar if you prefer.
Greek yoghurt – this adds moisture to the Chocolate Courgette Cake as well as a slight tangy flavour. Always use full-fat varieties in baking as lower-fat options will give different results.
Vegetable oil – a flavourless oil for this recipe so could swap for rapeseed or sunflower oil if you prefer.
Plain flour – also known as ‘all-purpose flour’.
Substitutions and Variations
Greek yoghurt: You could also use sour cream here if you have enough to make the cake and the frosting.
Dark chocolate: I would recommend sticking with the dark chocolate for the frosting as milk or white chocolate would be rather sweet (although if you have a sweet tooth, go for it!). However, you can definitely use milk or white chocolate for the chopped chocolate chunks.
Here’s how to make a moist Chocolate Courgette Cake
Here’s a step-by-step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
ONE: Place the grated courgette in a clean tea towel or between two sheets of kitchen paper and give it a good squeeze to get rid of any excess moisture.
TWO: Add the sugars, eggs, yoghurt and oil and mix well.
THREE: Add the courgette. Sieve in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cocoa powder. Add the salt and mix well to combine.
FOUR: Stir in the chopped chocolate until evenly distributed throughout the batter. Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for about 40-45 minutes – or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
FIVE: For the frosting: using an electric whisk, beat the butter for about 2 minutes until creamy and fluffy. Add the sour cream and the cooled melted chocolate and continue beating until combined. Sift in the icing sugar and cocoa powder and mix until light and fluffy.
SIX: Once the loaf has completely cooled, use a palette knife, spatula or the back of the spoon to spread over the top.
Cooking Tips
Remove Excess Moisture: It’s important to squeeze the water out of the courgette after it’s grated to ensure you don’t have a watery batter. Lay the grated courgette between two sheets of kitchen roll and pat dry. Otherwise, pop the grated courgette in a clean tea towel and then wrap up and squeeze out the excess water over the sink.
Making the Frosting: It’s totally optional to make the frosting as the loaf cake itself is so delicious and moist without it. However, if you do ice the cake, it does of course take it to the next level. Make sure the cake is completely cool before spreading on the frosting as you don’t want to risk melting it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Courgette makes the cake very moist, without impacting the flavour. You won’t be able to taste the courgette at all but it retains moisture within the cake which is what keeps it tender and moist. I know it may sound a little odd but think of it like carrot cake. The carrots give a real softness and moistness to the cake. It works the same way here with courgette.
Chocolate chips are small teardrop shaped chocolate droplets that have been specifically designed to withstand high temperatures and hold their shape when baking. This means they don’t melt and look rather pretty in things like cookies and brownies – they also tend to taste sweeter as they usually have a higher sugar content and lower cocoa butter content than chocolate bars. In contrast, chocolate chunks (made from chopping up your own chocolate bar) will vary in size and melt into gloriously gooey pools of melted chocolate during baking. I specifically chose to use chopped chocolate in this Chocolate Courgette Cake as I love coming across the puddles of molten chocolate.
No! All it does is add moisture and great texture to the cake but you cannot taste it at all. Chocolate is by far the dominant flavour here.
You should store in an airtight container (a large tupperware or cake box will work) in the fridge. You can store it for 2-3 days with the frosting, longer without (although it probably won’t last that long).
If you want to make the cake ahead of time, you can bake it and wrap tightly in clingfilm for 1-2 days before icing it and serving.
Yes, you can freeze the cake (not iced). Wrap tightly in clingfilm and a layer of foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, defrost at room temp overnight until soft. You could freeze it in slices with parchment paper between each layer so that you can easily take a few slices out of the freezer at a time. I wouldn’t freeze the icing as the sour cream has a tendency to defrost into a grainy texture. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Other recipes you may enjoy:
Try my Brownie Bites, my Orange and Almond Cake and my Chocolate Fudge Cake. My simple Moist Chocolate Cake is a great one for an easy birthday cake. It has a moist sponge and an easy ganache on top. Or this Easy Biscoff Cake is another to try for any celebration. It comes together easily but looks really impressive.
Easy Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse
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Homemade Chocolate Marshmallows
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Chocolate Brownie Trifle
Easy Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Orange Mousse
If you tried this Chocolate Courgette Cake or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a comment and let us know how it went!
Chocolate Courgette Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 250 g courgettes, grated -this is 250g before straining liquid out
- 50 g caster sugar
- 100 g soft light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 65 g full-fat Greek yoghurt
- 60 ml vegetable oil
- 120 g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 55 g cocoa powder
- ½ tsp flaky salt
- 200 g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
For the sour cream chocolate frosting (optional):
- 100 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 50 g full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 160 g good-quality dark chocolate, melted
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 350 g icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C Fan. Grease and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with non-stick baking paper or use a little butter and a dusting of cocoa powder.
- Place the grated courgette in a clean tea towel and give it a good squeeze to get rid of any excess moisture.
- Tip the courgette into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugars, eggs, yoghurt and oil and mix well.
- Sieve in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cocoa powder. Add the salt and mix well to combine.
- Stir in the chopped chocolate until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for about 40-45 minutes – or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Check at 35 minutes as ovens vary and you don’t want it to be too dry – cover with foil if the top is darkening too quickly.
- If frosting, leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Alternatively, leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes until just cool enough to handle carefully. Turn out onto a plate and enjoy warm slices with melting pools of chocolate.
- If making the frosting: using an electric whisk, beat the butter for about 2 minutes until creamy and fluffy. Add the sour cream and the cooled melted chocolate and continue beating until combined. Sift in the icing sugar and cocoa powder and mix until light and fluffy.
- Once the loaf has completely cooled, use a palette knife, spatula or the back of the spoon to spread over the top.
- Cut into slices and enjoy!
- The video below will help with this recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My mum loved it so much the first time around, that she asked me to bake it again for her birthday! Amazing recipe, texture of the cake is great
This is so good! You can’t even taste the courgette and a great substitute for the icing is just a few chocolate chips sprinkled on top before popping into the oven, such a great recipe.
Thank you! Love that as an add on, great idea xx
I’ve made this cake three times now and each time it’s just as good as the last. The step by step guide makes it so easy and you’d never even know it was full of courgette.
I love this chocolate courgette cake recipe, it’s simple to make and stays so moist even after a few days.
Hi there! So excited to make this cake this weekend. Can I freeze extra icing? Should this iced cake be stored in the refrigerator? Thank you!!
Hello! I haven’t tried freezing the icing but I usually wouldn’t freeze as sour cream can develop a grainy texture once frozen and defrosted. Yes, store in an airtight container in the fridge. You can store it for 2-3 days with the icing, longer without! Enjoy!
Is it 250 g of courgette before or after it is strained?
Before! x
It turned out amazing! Thanks so much for the recipe!