Chocolate Espresso Zucchini Sheet Cake is delightfully moist and bursting with an amazingly rich flavor. It’s ridiculously easy to make gluten-free, and… it’s a great way to use up some of those fresh garden zucchini! 

A delicious homemade espresso cream cheese frosting, along with a sprinkle of chopped pecans, quickly take this cake to a whole new level!

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Garden Zucchini 

To this day, my 86-year-old mother plants a package or two of zucchini seeds in her garden. I can see why. This versatile vegetable is extremely easy to grow and yields a bountiful harvest.

The most common varieties produce green zucchinis, although there are golden or bi-color varieties as well. Generally, zucchinis have the best flavor and are the most tender when they are young, measuring around 8 inches in length. Larger, more mature zucchinis tend to have more seeds and are rather mealy. Zucchinis stay fresher longer when harvested with at least an inch of the stem still attached. 

NOTE: Botanically, zucchinis are considered a fruit, although they are treated as a vegetable when used in a culinary context.

Zucchini Recipes

Fresh zucchini is excellent in all kinds of recipes such as ratatouille, stir-fry, summer salads, bread, and desserts. 

Some of our favorite zucchini recipes are: 

• Cream Cheese Zucchini Bread
• Simple Pan-Fried Zucchini  
• Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
• Healthy Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins

Let’s eat cake! 

Notice the flecks of espresso powder within the cream cheese frosting? So incredibly good! Depending on how you cut it, Chocolate Espresso Zucchini Sheet Cake will serve a group of approximately 20 people. 

Insanely Good! 

It seems to me that anyone who loves both chocolate and coffee will love this Chocolate Espresso Zucchini Sheet Cake. After all… chocolate and coffee do pair extremely well together!  

Gluten-Free Option

You may be interested to learn that the pictures within this post show the gluten-free version of Chocolate Espresso Zucchini Sheet Cake. Please note that the cake will probably be a tad bit taller when regular wheat flour is used instead of gluten-free flour.  

Yield: 20 Servings

Chocolate Espresso Zucchini Sheet Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Zucchini makes this sheet cake delightfully moist, while cocoa and espresso powder give it an amazingly rich flavor! Easy to make gluten-free!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk (or alternatives such as coconut, soy, almond milk)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (GF Option: use a gluten-free brand)
• 2 cups shredded fresh zucchini
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (GF Option: use gluten-free flour blend + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum - unless flour already contains xanthan gum)
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder (GF Option: use a gluten-free brand)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder (GF Option: use a gluten-free brand)
• FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8-ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract (GF Option: use a gluten-free brand)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder (GF Option: use a gluten-free brand)
• GARNISH
• pecans, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in milk, vanilla, and zucchini.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients; stir until well combined.
4. Pour into a greased 15-inch x 10-inch x 1-inch baking pan.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until center is set.
6. Cool.
7. Combine butter, cream cheese, and vanilla; stir until smooth. Add powdered sugar, salt, and espresso powder; stir until all ingredients are well combined. Spread frosting evenly over cake. Garnish with chopped pecans.
8. Cut into squares; serve.

What is your favorite zucchini recipe? 

Enjoy!

Linda

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