Chocolate Courgette Cake

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This chocolate courgette cake is absolutely scrumptious! Light, fluffy and with a vanilla icing that's out of this world, you'll be amazed at how well courgette works when used as a cake ingredient.

slices of chocolate courgette cake with buttercream icing and a dessert fork.

So, get that apron on and get baking!

Why you’ll love this recipe

The sponge is light and has a wonderfully chocolatey flavour
The vanilla icing is to die for
You can amaze your friends and family with the unexpectedly yummy taste

Equipment needed to make this recipe

There are a few key kitchen items you'll need for this chocolate courgette cake recipe:

20 x 35cm (8 x 14in) baking tin – you'll need the right size loaf tin for this chocolate courgette cake recipe
Weighing scales – good set of kitchen scales is essential when it comes to cake-making
Measuring spoons – use measuring spoons when measuring out your ingredients, as they give you greater accuracy
Box grater – you'll need this to grate your courgette
Mixing bowls – every baker needs a few quality mixing bowls to hand
Silicone spatula – a good silicone spatula gives you flexibility when mixing your ingredients
Hand whisk – a hand whisk is essential for whisking your wet ingredients
Sieve – you'll need this for sieving your flour
Cooling rack – the all-important cooling rack for cooling your cake

Ingredients you need to make this recipe

There are a few special ingredients you'll need to get hold of for this recipe:

Cocoa powder – you'll need good quality cocoa powder for this recipe. Go for organic
Chocolate chips – high calibre chocolate chips really make a difference to the overall quality of this cake
Vanilla extract – again, good quality really pays off here. Extract instead of essence is the way to go, as you'll really get that incredible vanilla flavour

How to make chocolate courgette cake

Great the courgette. A food processor would make your life easier.

Whisk the butter, oil and sugars together.

Whisk in the eggs, milk and vanilla extract.

ingredients to make chocolate cake batter.

Gently fold in the dry ingredients.

You should be left with a smooth chocolatey cake batter.

adding courgette and chocolate chips to cake batter.

Gently fold in the grated courgette and chocolate chips.

Raw chocolate courgette cake batter in baking tin.

Transfer the contents to a baking dish and bake.

Remove from the oven when cooked. A toothpick should come out clean. Cool completely.

Prepare the vanilla icing.

Putting a buttercream icing on the chocolate courgette cake.

Slather on the icing.

Decorating Chocolate Courgette cake with walnut halves.

Decorate with walnut pieces.

What to serve with this chocolate courgette cake recipe

This cake goes down spectacularly well with a cup of tea or coffee! If you want to pair it with a wine, go for a dessert wine or a dark-fruited red. You could even pair it with a delicious glass of Amarula cocktail!

Popular substitutions for this recipe

You can substitute vanilla extract for vanilla bean paste
If you prefer, you can use coconut sugar in place of caster sugar and soft brown sugar
Use wholemeal flour in place of white flour for a slightly healthier alternative. You just need to add an extra ½ tsp of baking powder

Variations for this recipe

For a gluten free chocolate courgette cake, use gluten free flour
Use slightly more or less sugar, based on your personal preferences
Add a teaspoon of mixed spice to give this cake a whole new dimension!

Top Tips

Always use a good quality set of weighing scales to weigh your ingredients. The same with measuring spoons, which are more accurate than standard teaspoons. Precision really is key
Use room temperature eggs and butter. You'll notice the difference
I used dark chocolate chips, you can omit them, or you can use milk or white chocolate chips if you like instead
For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality vanilla extract and not an essence. You can also use a vanilla bean paste

Do I use plain flour or self raising flour?

As we use baking powder with this recipe, there's no need for self raising flour. So, plain flour it is!

Why use vegetable oil?

Using vegetable oil in baking is a great way to make sure the cake comes out moist. This is because oil remains liquid at room temperature, whereas butter solidifies.

Still, it's hard to beat the taste of butter! So, for this recipe, I like to get the best of both worlds and use vegetable oil and butter.

How do you grate courgette?

Grating courgette is simple. You just need a box grater, then you can grate it by hand. You don't even need to peel courgettes beforehand – just grate away!

If you prefer, you can use a food processor with a grater attachment to grate your courgettes.

How do you store chocolate courgette cake?

This chocolate courgette cake needs to be stored in an airtight container. Keep it in a cool dry place.

How long does it last?

This cake will keep fresh for up to three days.

Can you freeze it?

If you want to keep it longer than three days, you'll need to freeze it. Freezing this chocolate cake is certainly possible – although, keep it mind, you will lose some of the taste and texture.

To freeze this cake, cut it into slices and place squares of baking paper between the slices. Then store in an airtight freezable container and freeze for up to three months.

Can I make it in advance?

Absolutely! You can make this cake up to three days in advance. If you do want to make it ahead of time, I recommend leaving the icing stage until you're almost ready to serve it.

More delicious chocolate cake recipes

Chocoholics rejoice! If you're one of the those people who can never get enough chocolate, here's some more inspiration for you:

Black forest gateau – the kind of decadent chocolate cakes
Chocolate orange brownies – these little heavenly bites are very easy to whip up and nigh-on impossible to resist
African Prince pie – a chocolate dessert that's fit for royalty
Chocolate concrete – an old-school classic that has stood the test of time. Serve it with this pink custard for a delicious blast from the past