CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE | VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE, OIL-FREE RECIPE

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE WITH A SWEET POTATO FROSTING

Where do I begin? I think I just went to chocolate heaven after eating one slice of this delicious chocolate zucchini cake. I am not kidding, this cake is life, it’s so rich, chocolatey, even though it’s vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free and oil-free! Chocolate cakes have a bad reputation because normally they contain tons of sugar, eggs, and butter but not this one! My chocolate cake contains zucchini plus I added sweet potatoes to the frosting, which makes it a healthy chocolate cake with veggies. Yet it tastes absolutely delicious, like finger licking’ amazing…

THIS CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE IS OIL-FREE!

I love to bake but I actually never follow any recipes which I find online because most of them aren’t very healthy. A quick Google search for chocolate cake and I find thousands of recipes which contain either butter or a cup of oil. I mean seriously, who wants to eat a cake with so much oil?! Your arteries won’t be happy… I do have some recipes which contain 1 or 2 tbsp oil but lately, I try to completely skip the oil. Even though oil is plant-based it’s 100% fat and doesn’t contain any fiber. So whenever possible I rather consume the whole plant and not the oil.

For example, instead of avocado oil, I eat an avocado. Or instead of coconut oil, I eat coconut meat. A whole food is always complete and contains vitamins, minerals, fiber etc. and is therefore much healthier. I am not saying that this chocolate zucchini is fat-free because it is not. Fat adds taste and a great texture to baked goods but you can get the same result with ground nuts or seeds.

GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE

Like all my recipes, this chocolate cake is vegan and gluten-free. The recipe contains brown rice flour and no “complicated” flour blend. I haven’t made this cake with any other flour but I always get asked if any of my recipes also work with regular all-purpose flour or spelt flour. Since I don’t use these flours, I cannot tell you how the result will be. You can either try it out and report back or buy brown rice flour which is available almost everywhere. You can even make your own brown rice flour if you have a good high-speed blender.

THIS HEALTHY CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE IS:

• Vegan
• Gluten free
• Fudgy
• Chocolatey
• Rich
• Gooey
• Moist
• Delicious
• Dairy-free
• Egg-free
• Refined sugar-free
• Oil-free
• Easy to make

Chocolate zucchini cake recipe which is healthy, vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, egg-free, dairy-free and oil-free. This healthy vegan chocolate cake is rich, fudgy, easy to make and delicious

Course: Dessert

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 393 kcal

Author: Ela

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup brown rice flour (240 g)
• 1 cup coconut sugar (150 g)
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder unsweetened (66 g)
• 2 tbsp flaxseeds ground
• 3/4 cup shredded coconut dried, unsweetened (66 g) / see recipe notes
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

• 2 cups (lightly packed) grated zucchini (240 g)
• 1 1/3 cup light coconut milk canned (320 ml)
• 3-4 tbsp agave syrup or maple syrup (60-80 g)

Sweet potato frosting:

• 2 small sweet potatoes, cooked (300 g)
• 1 cup sunflower seed butter or any nut butter (240 g)
• 1/3 cup agave syrup or maple syrup (105 g)
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder unsweetened (24 g)
• 1/8 to 1/2 cup light coconut milk canned (amount depends on consistency / read instructions)
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Put all dry ingredients in your food processor and blend for some seconds. Transfer the dry ingredients to a big bowl

   
   
2. Whisk the wet ingredients (coconut milk and agave syrup) together in a bowl and pour it over the dry ingredients. Give the mixture a good stir with your whisk (you can also use a hand mixer if you want

   
   
3. Grate the zucchini (I used a medium one) with a grater and add it to the batter

   
   
4. Grease an 8-inch springform with some oil or line it with baking paper. Pour the batter into the springform and bake it in the oven at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 45 minutes (check the center of the cake with a toothpick after 40 minutes to see if it's cooked already)

   
   
5. Let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes. Then carefully cut cake layers with a big knife or use dental floss (like I did).

   
   

   Note: If you have two 8-inch molds, then split the batter in half and pour it into each mold. This way you won't need to cut cake layers for the frosting. The baking time will be less if you use two molds (about 25-30 minutes)

   
   
6. Mix all ingredients for the frosting in your food processor or high-speed blender until you have a thick, fluffy and creamy frosting. If you use white sweet potatoes (which are very starchy) you will need more plant-milk (I used 1/2 cup). If you use orange sweet potatoes 1/8 - 1/4 cup plant-milk should be enough

   
   
7. Slather the frosting on the cake and decorate it as per your liking. Enjoy! The chocolate zucchini cake keeps fresh in the fridge for about 4-5 days

Source : https://elavegan.com/chocolate-zucchini-cake-vegan-recipe/

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