Whole Wheat Glazed Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

Zucchini is almost strictly a baking ingredient in our house. When it comes to savory applications, I’ll never turn down these zucchini fries or zucchini parmesan crisps, but otherwise, there are other vegetables that I’d rather be eating. Vegetables like sugar snap peas, which have been my obsession for about 6 months now. There have literally been some lazy nights where my entire dinner is a giant plate of steamed sugar snap peas; it’s kind of ridiculous how much I love them.

But at the end of the day, zucchini is still top dog because, hello, you can bake it in chocolate cake! I’ve never tried to put sugar snap peas in chocolate cake, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t end well.

The great thing about putting zucchini in cake is that you can’t even tell it’s there – promise. It just adds moisture to the cake and makes it extra delicious! Take it even one step further and use all whole wheat flour as this recipe does, and I’d argue this is chocolate cake you can absolutely justify any time of day! As always, I used white whole wheat flour so you can’t even tell this recipe is whole wheat but you still get the nutritional benefits. Win-win! On its own the cake is rich and chocolatey, but I always think a bundt looks even better with a glaze so I couldn’t help but add one here. This glaze is almost like chocolate frosting it’s so thick and fudgy, and I love the shiny finish it adds to the cake.

Like so many things I bake, this cake went to work with Shane. I can’t remember the last time I heard so much positive feedback though – people went crazy for this zucchini bundt! If you’ve never tried using zucchini as a baking ingredient, now is the perfect time. Everyone’s gardens are overflowing with the stuff, I bet you can find a neighbor just itching to drop some off on your doorstep 🙂

Whole Wheat Glazed Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake
cake adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking, glaze adapted from this bundt

{Note: you can halve this recipe and bake in a 6-cup bundt pan. See instructions for reduced cooking time.}

Cake
2 1/2 cups (10 oz) white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (7 1/2 oz) packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (about 12 oz) shredded zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips

Glaze
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt (I always sift cocoa powder to make sure there aren’t any lumps). In a large bowl, whisk together both sugars and the oil until well combined. Mix in the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until incorporated. Add half of the dry ingredients, stirring with a rubber spatula until moistened, then stir in the zucchini and finally the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the edges of the cake start to pull away from the pan and the top springs back when lightly pressed (if you halve the recipe and bake in a 6-cup bundt, the baking time will be less, mine was about 30-35 minutes).

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before turning it out onto the rack. Let the cake cool completely on the rack before glazing.

To make the glaze: Add the heavy cream, corn syrup and chocolate to a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let the glaze stand for about 30 minutes to allow it to thicken slightly, then drizzle over the cake. Allow to set for at least 10 minutes before serving.