This gorgeous gluten-free chocolate zucchini cake is made with almond flour and packed with chocolate flavor. It's fudgy, super moist and 100% naturally sweetened! You'll love the dairy-free chocolate frosting!
Preheat & Prep. To star, preheat oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8" or 9x9" pan with parchment paper.
Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Combine Wet Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, eggs, milk, syrup, and vanilla. Pulse or whisk until well combined and smooth.
Combine Batter. Add the whisked dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold or stir in the grated zucchini.
Bake The Cake. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool COMPLETELY while you mix up the frosting.
Make the Frosting:
Combine. In a food processor (or a bowl with a hand mixer), combine cocoa powder, syrup, softened (not melted!) coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Pulse or mix until completely smooth.
Adjust. If the frosting seems too stiff, you can add more syrup 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you reach the right consistency.
Frost. Spoon frosting onto the fully cooled cake and spread with a spatula over the surface. If desired, garnish with shaved or chopped chocolate, mini chocolate chips, or sprinkles.
Serve & Store. Cut the cake into 9 larger or 12 smaller slices and enjoy. Cofer the cake and store leftovers 1-2 days at room temperature, or 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Almond Flour. Do NOT substitute the almond flour for any other type of flour here. 1:1 flour, oat flour, or coconut flour will NOT work the same way.
Arrowroot. If you don't have (or can't find) arrowroot flour/arrowroot starch, you can substitute tapioca starch or cornstarch.
Cocoa Powder. I recommend natural cocoa powder (like Hershey's or Ghirardelli) rather than Dutch processed cocoa in this recipe for best results.