Ingredients:

  • 1 ¾ cups (210g) whole wheat pastry flour
  • ½ cup (45g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
  • ½ tsp (3g) salt
  • 1 tsp (2g) espresso powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup (110g) light brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) avocado oil
  • 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (60g) plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 cups (225g) finely grated zucchini, squeezed lightly

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your 8x8 inch square or 9 inch round pan and line it with parchment paper. Note: Lining the pan prevents the edges from sticking.
  2. Finely grate 2 cups of zucchini. If it feels very watery, give it one gentle squeeze with a paper towel. Do not wring it completely dry. The DoubleChocolate Zucchini Cake needs some of that moisture to stay fudgy.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/3 cup avocado oil, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/4 cup Greek yogurt. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and pale.
  4. Sift in 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp espresso powder. Note: Sifting prevents cocoa lumps in the final cake.
  5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula. Stop the moment you see no more flour streaks. Over mixing will make the DoubleChocolate Zucchini Cake tough.
  6. Gently fold in the grated zucchini and 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips. Make sure they are evenly distributed so every bite has a pocket of chocolate.
  7. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top with your spatula.
  8. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  9. Let the cake cool completely in the pan. If you cut into it while it is hot, the steam escapes too quickly, and the texture can become gummy.