Chocolate Mocha Zucchini Cake

Do you ever find yourself with an abundant supply of zucchini?  How about summer squash?  Want a great recipe that will help use them up?  Look no further - this CHOCOLATE MOCHA ZUCCHINI CAKE is rich, dark, and delicious.  To gild the lily further, add a silky smooth layer of dark chocolate ganache.  Here's how it's made.

Prepare an aluminum cake pan with Baker's Joy.  I use it for all the cakes I bake.  If you want to turn this cake out of the pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment. For best results, use a professional cake pan.

Note: if you use a glass or ceramic pan, lower the oven temp 25F.

Gather the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, sifted dark cocoa (aka black cocoa), ground cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and fine salt.

The ground cinnamon is optional, but I really like it.  Also, I use the darkest cocoa powder I can find.  It makes the cake extra dark, which is extra irresistible. 

Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.

Done; set aside.

Gather the wet ingredients - eggs, oil, vanilla (be sure to use use the good stuff), greek yogurt, and brewed coffee (not pictured).

Put all the wet ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together.

Done.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together.

Done.

Last, add the shredded zucchini to the batter.  You can substitute up to half of the zucchini with summer squash (remove seeds before grating).

Stir the zucchini (and summer squash) into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

insulated cake strips help the cake to bake in an even layer with no hump!

Wrap the pan with moistened insulated baking strips.  You don't have to do this step, but it will help the cake bake into an even layer.   Otherwise, your cake will likely develop a hump in the middle.

Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely.  While the cake cools, prepare the ganache.  When the cake is completely cool, spread the ganache evenly over the cake.  Chill until service.

I like to serve this cake well chilled.  Time to dig in - enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• professional cake pan https://amzn.to/3LjYdSo

• baker’s joy baking spray https://amzn.to/2WKNTsA

• box grater https://amzn.to/2IcPTG2

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/2I7XHIO

• black cocoa powder https://amzn.to/3vTbtFY

• dutch-processed cocoa powder https://amzn.to/3gvtmUH

• insulated baking strips https://amzn.to/2OU9coV

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Chocolate Mocha Zucchini Cake

makes one 9x13-inch cake (15 servings)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder, sifted (darkest you can find, like black cocoa)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon fine salt

• 2 large eggs

• 3/4 cup greek yogurt

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 1/4 cup brewed coffee

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 cups shredded zucchini (or substitute up to half yellow summer squash)

Ganache:

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 8 ounces heavy cream

Directions

To make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, spray metal cake pan with Baker's Joy, and wrap pan with insulated baking strips (optional, but they keep the cake from forming a hump in the middle).

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, greek yogurt, oil, coffee, and pre vanilla extract.

4. Pour wet mixture into bowl containing the dry ingredients and mix well; add shredded zucchini and stir until combined.

5. Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

6. Remove from oven and cool completely before adding ganache.

To make the ganache:

1. Place chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl; set aside.

2. In a medium heavy-bottom saucepan, heat cream until just before it reaches the boiling point (small bubbles will form around the edges).

3. Remove cream from heat and pour over chocolate.

4. Let the chocolate and cream steep together for 2 minutes, then whisk gently until the two combine and become shiny, dark, and glossy.

5. When cake is completely cool, pour ganache over cake; use an offset spatula to spread evenly.

6. Chill cake until service. Store in an airtight container.

Mini Chocolate Whoopie Pies

It may be hard to believe, but these adorable mini whoopie pies are made with only 6 ingredients.  I know, right?  

To make the cookies, combine one box of dry devils food cake mix and one can of 100% pure pumpkin puree.  No egg, no water, no oil, just the dry mix and pumpkin.  That's all.  I mix them in my stand mixer using a BeaterBlade or flat beater attachment. 

Then I use a #50 scoop to portion 1 tablespoon mounds of dough onto silpat lined half sheet pans.  This recipe will make 4 pans of cookies.  If you don't have 4 pans with liners, you can rotate 2 pans - just be sure the pans are completely cool before putting cookie dough on them.  

While the cookies are baking, make the cream filling. 

Cream together room temperature butter and confectioners sugar.  Make sure the butter is at room temperature.  This is one of the few recipes that I use salted butter.  You can use unsalted if you like, just add a healthy pinch or two of fine salt for flavor. 

Whip the butter and sugar together for a full 3 minutes.  I like to use my BeaterBlade attachment so I don't have to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  LOVE my BeaterBlade!!  

Add the marshmallow cream.  It's so sticky!

And lastly, add pure vanilla extract. Use the good stuff - it makes all the difference. 

Mix again, just until the marshmallow cream and vanilla are fully incorporated.

Place the cream filling in a large pastry bag fitted with a round tip.  I like to use plastic and polycarbonate tips for several reasons:

1. They don't have seams, which can leave marks in your piped design.

2. They don't get cold like metal tips. cold metal can make some fillings seize and clog the tip (like anything containing temperature sensitive ingredients like chocolate or butter).

3. You can spot large air bubbles before they have a chance to explode all over the place.

Ok, back to our mini whoopie pies.  Squeeze a good dollop of filling on the flat side of one cookie and top with another cookies, sandwiching the two flat sides together as shown below.

And that's all there is to it.  Store these bite-size treats in an airtight container.  Serve chilled.

Items used to make this recipe:

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3r9wNGK

• marshmallow cream https://amzn.to/3rmcFBu

• #50 scoop https://amzn.to/32OW1Rg

• beaterblade https://amzn.to/348gOzS

• half sheet pans https://amzn.to/3L6vNv8

• silpat liner https://amzn.to/3rjZzo3

• 100% pure pumpkin puree https://amzn.to/3IVYxob

• devils food cake mix https://amzn.to/3ugjfew

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Mini Chocolate Whoopie Pies

makes approximately 30 mini whoopie pies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Whoopie Pies

• 18.5 ounce box devils food cake mix

• 15 ounces 100% pure pumpkin puree

Filling

• 16 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature

• 2 cups confectioners sugar

• 7.5 ounces marshmallow cream

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

To make cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 half sheet pans with silpats.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a BeaterBlade (or paddle attachment), combine cake mix and pumpkin until no signs of dry cake mix remain.

3. Use a #50 scoop (about 1 tablespoon) to portion 15 cookies onto each prepared sheet pan.

4. Bake one pan at a time, in the center of the oven, for 15 minutes; repeat until all cookie dough is baked (be sure sheet trays are completely cool before placing cookie dough on them).

5. Allow cookies to cool completely on sheet pan before filling.

To make filling and assemble whoopie pies:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a BeaterBlade (or paddle attachment), cream butter and sugar together for 3 minutes.

2. Add marshmallow cream and vanilla; mix until combined.

3. Place filling in a disposable pastry bag fitted with a large round tip.

4. Pipe filling onto flat side of one cooled cookie and top with a second cookie to form a mini whoopie pie; continue until all the cookies are filled.

5. Chill whoopie pies in an airtight container; serve cold.

Notes

• Leftover cream filling can be frozen in an airtight container.  

• Thaw overnight in the fridge and re-whip to restore consistency if needed.