Vegan Chocolate Courgette Cake

Vegan chocolate courgette cake - this delicious zucchini cake is a great way of using up excess courgettes. It is incredibly moist, soft, chocolatey and very, very more-ish!

If you have ever tried growing courgettes then you will know that it is a very prolific plant, providing a constant supply of them throughout the season.

I've been struggling to keep up with the rate mine has been producing them at, and this vegan chocolate courgette cake was a nice change from just adding courgettes to every single meal!

I adapted it from my vegan chocolate banana cake, but the courgette provides quite a different texture. You can't taste it at all, but it makes the cake extremely moist, soft and delicate, with a fudgy, almost brownie-like texture.

The flavour is pure chocolate, rich and dark and not too sweet, with added chocolate chips to really up the indulgence factor. No one will know that it secretly contains vegetables!

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Chocolate Courgette Cake?:

Courgette (zucchini): It is important to weigh out your courgette rather than just adding one, otherwise your results could vary drastically. Use a regular sized grater, there is no need to peel it, and you don't need to squeeze out the excess liquid.

Sugar: I prefer to use caster sugar here (granulated will also work). The cake is so moist that it doesn't need any extra moisture from brown sugar. You can use coconut sugar if you want, but don't use syrup or sweeteners instead.

Oil: I use a mild olive oil but any neutral oil such as sunflower, rapeseed or avocado is fine.

Non-dairy milk – soy milk is best for baking as it has the highest protein content but any variety will work (except tinned coconut milk).

Cider or white wine vinegar – a little bit of vinegar reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to help the cake rise. You could swap it for lemon juice if you don’t have vinegar.

Vanilla extract– I like to add a dash of vanilla extract for extra flavour but you can leave it out if you don’t have it.

Cocoa powder: I use dutch processed cocoa powder (which is just ordinary cocoa powder for those of you in the UK).

Plain flour: Just regular plain flour is best here. I don't recommend swapping it for wholemeal, it will make the cake too dense

I haven't tried making this cake gluten-free, but I suspect that it would work ok with a plain gluten-free flour blend plus ¼ tsp xanthan gum if the flour doesn’t already contain it.

Baking powder and soda: A mix of the two provides the best rise and light, soft texture.

Salt – I find that the flavour of most baked goods is enhanced by the addition of a little bit of salt.

Chocolate chips - these are optional but highly recommended!

How To Make Vegan Chocolate Courgette Cake:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Stir together the grated courgette, sugar, oil, milk, vinegar and vanilla in a large bowl.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until no dry lumps remain. Fold through the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into a greased and lined 23 cm/9 in square tin OR a 2lb loaf tin and spread it level.

Bake for about 30 minutes for a square cake, or 80 minutes for a loaf.

Top Tips:

All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup coversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

This cake can be baked either in a loaf tin, or a 23 cm/9 in square tin. I actually prefer the square version, simply because it bakes a lot more quickly than the loaf!

Don’t over-mix the batter as that can make the cake tough, just mix it until no dry lumps remain.

The cake is ready when it is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.

How To Store It:

Because this cake contains courgette, it doesn't keep for very long before it will go mouldy, about 2-3 days in an airtight container.

If it is warm out, store it in the fridge.

Can I Freeze It?:

Yes this cake freezes well. Make sure that it has cooled completely first then wrap it well to avoid freezer burn and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature.

More Vegan Fruit And Vegetable Cakes:

• Vegan carrot cake
• Vegan apple cake
• Vegan courgette cake with lemon glaze
• Vegan pumpkin bundt cake
• Vegan banana crumb cake
• Vegan beetroot chocolate cake
• Vegan mango bundt cake
• Chocolate, pear and hazelnut cake
• Vegan cherry almond cake
• Vegan pineapple upside-down cake

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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