DIY Baking Jill's Famous Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

This week, our Jill of All Trades, Jill Washburn, is giving away her secret recipe for the best chocolate cake ever.  She’s kept it under wraps for years, but now she’s letting everybody in on it.  And, you won’t believe the secret ingredient that makes it so good.

It’s zucchini!  Yes!  She’s elevated zucchini to dessert status, and deservedly so, because this cake is amazing.  It’s moist and dense and super chocolatey and you would never know that there is zucchini in it.  You can’t taste it or see it.

I blend the dry ingredients first.

Then, she’s topping it with another of her famous recipes, her cocoa cream cheese frosting.  Together it’s a winning pair.

Here are the recipes:

"Ze Best" Chocolate Cake

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour (gluten-free flour works great, too)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup oil
4 eggs
3 cups finely shredded zucchini

1 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)
or
1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips (optional)

Combine the dry ingredients and mix well.  Then add oil and mix together thoroughly.  Then add eggs and mix thoroughly again.  Then add in zucchini, mixing as you go.  Make sure that you scrape the bowl and have everything mixed in well before you pour the batter.

I add finely shredded zucchini to the batter.

At this point, you could do one of the optional add-ins.

Now you’re ready to put it in the pans.  First, grease the pans.  (Jill just sprays them with an olive oil cooking spray.  It’s faster and easier and works just as well.). Then, she dusts them with cocoa, instead of flour.  Add in the batter and pop them in a 325˚ oven.  Bake them until a toothpick comes out moist, but not gunky.  (Start checking after about 35 minutes.) Usually, Jill doesn’t go by the toothpick test, but this cake is so moist that it is a good way to test it.

Let cake cool completely before frosting.

This recipe makes enough for 2 8" layers or a 13x9 1/4-sheet cake.

Frost with your favorite frosting or Jill’s Cocoa Cream Cheese Frosting.

I use a cocoa cream cheese frosting.

Cocoa Cream Cheese Frosting

2 sticks of butter (softened)
2 8-oz. blocks of cream cheese (softened)
11 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons cocoa

Mix together the butter and cream cheese until thoroughly blended.  Then slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, mixing as you go.  Next add in the vanilla.  Mix well, and then add in the cocoa, one tablespoon at a time, mixing as you go.

You’re ready to frost!  Enjoy!

PROJECT RATING: Easy+

To watch Jill lead you through the process, just click on the video player above.