Grass-green matcha cream cheese frosting adorns layers of super moist gluten free chocolate zucchini cake flecked with nutty sorghum flour.
Today is pretty much the most exciting day of my life. More than the day I won a poetry contest in 6th grade (which began "a lone bald eagle in a tree / collecting pollen a honey bee"). More than the day I finally passed my driving test (after failing three times). It comes close to the day we brought Catamus home from the SPCA (and he promptly destroyed our favorite houseplant). Today is the day that Alternative Baker is unleashed upon the world in all its buttery, sugary, gluten-free glory. Plus, The Bojon Gourmet turns 7 this Friday! Let's celebrate with cake.
Alternative Baker: Reinventing Dessert with Gluten-Free Grains and Flours (my cookbook!)
I'm so grateful to everyone who's helped along this journey, and I'm excited to hear how you all like the book. If you bake something from it, please snap a photo for Instagram and tag it #AlternativeBakerBook so I can squeal over it! If you don't have a copy but are Alternative Baker curious, read all about it and order it here. If you want to hear me ramble on about the cookbook process, tune into The Dinner Special podcast to hear my super fun interview with Gabriel Soh. And you can drool over the Buckwheat Orange Double Chocolate Cookies that Alana just shared from the book!
Are you ready for cake?!
Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake gets fancy!
This gluten free chocolate zucchini cake is one of my very favorite recipes from Alternative Baker. I usually bake it in a single pan and cut it into squares, sheet cake style. But I thought we needed something a bit fancier this time around, so I doubled the recipe, baked it in three layers, and then I put gold on it because how often does one get to eat gold? Slightly more often than one releases a cookbook, I'd wager.
A cake that even cake-haters will love
I'm generally not the biggest fan of cake – give me pie, crisp, cobbler, ice cream... pretty much any other dessert any day. Same goes for Jay. But this is one that we can't keep our hands off of. Like all the recipes in Alternative Baker, it's full of seasonal produce and whole grain flour, with a flavor twist to keep it tasting (and looking) fresh and vibrant.
First of all, cake usually doesn't have much in the way of nutritional value. But this cake has a whole pound of zucchini in it, and loads of whole grain sorghum flour, so it's basically health food. Cake tends to be dry and overly sweet. But this one gets moisture from the aforementioned shredded zucchini along with sunflower oil and brown sugar, with plenty of cocoa powder cutting the sweetness. Plus, I'll eat just about anything if it's covered in enough cream cheese frosting, and this version gets a delicious infusion of grassy matcha which, in addition to keeping the sweetness in check, turns the frosting green (see? health food!).
Matcha + Chocolate
The matcha/chocolate combo was inspired by some über-tasty cupcakes Sarah made for a dessert-themed birthday party over a year ago. They sparked a flavor obsession that's still going strong, from Matcha Mint Chip Ice Cream, to Matcha Mint Grasshopper Pie, to hot fudge-topped matcha ice cream from my favorite SF ice cream shop, to Sarah's matcha chocolate chunk rice krispie treats. And this cake, which, even though I tested approximately 1 billion times, I still want to eat. A lot.
GF DF Chocolate Zucchini Cake
To make this recipe dairy-free, use plant milk in the cake and top it with a double batch of vegan cream cheese frosting or paleo cream cheese frosting, matcha optional.
Aside from eating too much of this cake, I'm looking forward to a day full of celebration including a relaxing acupuncture treatment, yoga class, and bowls of spicy ginger garlic miso ramen at Shizen (my latest obsession!).
Or perhaps I'll bake a pie...
More gluten free chocolate cake recipes:
- chocolate zucchini bread (paleo, vegan)
- one-bowl teff chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting {gluten-free, vegan option}
- gluten free chocolate bundt cake with whiskey ganache
- gluten free banana cake with rum ganache
- gluten free chocolate chestnut cream cake
- gluten free chocolate hazelnut brown butter cake
- gluten free chocolate almond olive oil cake
*Bojon appétit! Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten free chocolate zucchini cake, I’d love to see. Tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Chocolate Zucchini Layer Cake with Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting {gluten-free}
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Cake
- 1 pound (550 g) zucchini
- 2 cups (430 g) packed organic light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup (120 ml) sunflower oil or other neutral vegetable oil
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk or plant milk
- 2 teaspoons (20 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (120 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 ¾ cups (230 g) sorghum flour
- ½ cup (80 g) sweet white rice flour
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (16 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Frosting
- 1 pound (550 g) cream cheese, softened
- 8 tablespoons (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups (200 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon (12 g) good-quality culinary-grade matcha, plus a sprinkle for garnish
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- chocolate discs or shavings and edible gold leaf, for decoration
Instructions
- To make the cake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF (175ºC). Rub three 8-inch round cake pans with softened butter, line each with a round of parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust the pans with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.
- Trim the zucchini and grate them on the medium holes of a box grater (the ones that measure 1⁄8 inch [2–3 mm]); you should have 2 cups packed grated zucchini. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, oil, milk and vanilla extract, until combined well. In a medium bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, baking powder and salt, pushing through any clumps. Stir half of the flour mixture into the egg mixture until smooth, then add the grated zucchini, stirring until smooth, followed by the remaining flour mixture.
- Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth into an even layer. Bake the cakes until the tops spring back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs, 30-40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pans, at least 1 hour, then turn out and peel away the parchment. (The cakes can be wrapped and stored for up to 1 day.)
- To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, matcha powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the frosting on low speed, increasing to medium speed until smooth, light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a serving board or platter and use a small, offset spatula or butter knife to spread about one-fourth of the frosting over the top in an even layer. Top with a second cake layer and repeat, then repeat with the remaining cake layer, frosting the top and sides. If you like, decorate the top of the cake with chocolate discs or shavings, a sprinkle of matcha, and a touch of edible gold leaf (if you’re weird like me and happen to have it lying around).
- For the cleanest results, chill the cake to firm up the frosting, at least 1 hour. Cut the cake with a large, sharp chef’s knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts. The cake is best within a day or two of baking, stored refrigerated airtight.
Notes
Nutrition
More Gluten-Free Cake Recipes:
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread
- Gluten-Free Apple Cake in a Skillet
- Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffeecake
- Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
- Gluten-Free Upside-Down Cake with Poached Quince
- Gluten-Free Pound Cake with Lemon and Berries
- Gluten-Free Pear Cake with Chai Spices
- Gluten-Free Peach Cake
- Gluten-Free Plum Cake
- Gluten-Free Lemon Almond Cake
Sherrie says
Alanna, you goddess you! So proud. So happy. I cannot wait to hold this beauty in my hands. Also, this might be my favorite photography of yours of all time (which is incredibly hard to say given your body of work). All the love, xx!
Matt says
Such an incredibly beautiful cake!
Jennifer Farley says
the book is gorgeous, the cake is gorgeous, you are gorgeous, AND I AM SO EXCITED!
gerry @ foodness gracious says
That color is crazy! I really enjoy making cakes but never seem to find the time or patience..I gotta work on that :)
Ellie | from scratch, mostly says
First of all, I'm mesmerized by the sifting photo!!! And that is so exciting, congratulations Alanna! I can only imagine how delicious matcha cream cheese frosting is.....
Gena says
Alanna, a huge and hearty congratulations to you! The book looks artful and beautiful, and I'm really excited to see it. Celebrate!
Viktoria Radichkova says
Congratulations, Alanna! I'm so happy for you! I just got my copy of the book, and wanted to say Thank you for writing such a beautiful masterpiece! I absolutely love it! Unlike many cookbooks which may have just a few recipes that jump at me, every single one of yours seems like a true gem. The photography is fabulous too, as always! Can't wait to make the recipes!!
Alanna says
Aw, you're so sweet Viktoria - thank you! :)
Jackie says
¡Felicidades! I've had your book in my shopping list on Amazon for quite some time and I just ordered it ... looking forward to it so very much! All the best to you!
Alanna says
Aw, thank you so much Jackie!
Rachel says
I am making the cake now. 15 years ago I used a recipe for a wheat flour based chocolate chocolate chip zucchini bread. Since going gluten free I have tried to convert my traditional recipes and it is a daunting challenge for me. This recipe is just what I needed. Thanks and congrats to you.
Alanna says
Aw, thanks Rachel! Let me know how you like it. :)
Eliza says
Hi Alanna,
I've made this cake a couple of times and loooooove it. I've also been working my way through your cookbook with much happiness.
Question: I'd like to use this recipe to make cupcakes. Do you think I should change the recipe at all, and do you have any estimate for baking time?
Thank you for being the source of much deliciousness in my life!
Alanna says
Hi Eliza, I'm so glad you're liking the cake and the book - yay! I tested this as cupcakes, and put the info in the header (sorry it was hiding there!) Here it is: For cupcakes, divide the batter among 12 paper-lined muffin cups and bake for 18–22 minutes. Let me know how you like 'em!
Eliza says
Thank you so much, Alanna! I'm making them today!
Scott says
A wee bit late to the party but I think I’m going to make a cake like this for my birthday that’s coming up! This is one of the most beautiful cakes that I’ve come across and it sounds so incredibly delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Alanna says
Aw thanks for the kind words Scott! I hope you love the cake and that you have a sweet birthday. :)