Treat yourself to a piece of this delicious Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake! This incredible sheet cake recipe is guaranteed to please any crowd. And let’s not forget about the irresistibly rich buttermilk chocolate icing that takes the cake recipe to a new level of deliciousness.
This summer, we’ve made some amazing recipes! One of our absolute favorites is our Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake. It’s moist, delicious, and oh-so-decadent – plus it utilizes a vegetable as an ingredient! This cake has been a great way to ensure that no summer produce goes to waste while also ensuring everyone gets to enjoy something delectably sweet.
A classic Texas sheet cake meets zucchini in this rich dessert. It’s the perfect way to use up zucchini and an even better way to serve a crowd at potlucks, BBQs, and parties. This recipe needs to be on your must-bake list.
Fall is my favorite time of the year. And it isn’t because kids are headed back to school (even though that could be seen as an added bonus). I love fall because of football, 70-degree weather, jeans, sweatshirts & wearing baseball caps.
I also love fall baking, and this Texas sheet cake is a great way to use up all of the late-season zucchini in your garden.
To create this recipe, I combined my favorite triple chocolate zucchini cake recipe with my best-ever brownie frosting to complete this recipe for chocolate zucchini cake.
It’s easy to make, too: all you need is some zucchini, eggs, sugar, and cocoa powder! We highly recommend it to anyone looking for a way to make their summer extra special. Plus it pairs perfectly with a scoop of ice cream, a cold glass of milk, or a cup of coffee – what more could you ask for?
It’s the Perfect Dessert for a Crowd
A sheet cake is a great way to make dessert for a crowd, and this version is chocolaty, rich, and moist, thanks to the zucchini in the batter. Of course, it has the signature shiny frosting that everyone loves.
The cake is simple to make – here are the ingredients you’ll need for the batter:
- Sugar
- Oil
- Eggs
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Cocoa powder
- Cinnamon
- Baking powder
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Milk
- Shredded zucchini
Texas Sheet Cake Frosting
Don’t skip the frosting for this one – it’s a must! It’s a simple 5-ingredient frosting that hardens when it cools.
- Butter
- Buttermilk
- Cocoa
- Vanilla
- Powdered sugar
Recipe Baking Tips
To keep your sheet cake from sinking in the middle, a helpful tip is to rotate the pans halfway through baking. But here’s a friendly reminder: if the center is still liquid, it might sink when you move the pans. So, it’s a good idea to wait until about 3/4 of the suggested baking time before opening the oven door and adjusting the pans.
For a perfectly frosted sheet cake, make sure to let the cake cool completely before adding the frosting. Give it at least 30 minutes to cool after baking, so you won’t have any melting or buttercream mishaps.
How to Store Chocolate Zucchini Cake
This recipe makes 48 servings, so if you have leftovers, they will keep well at room temperature for up to three days. It will dry out after a couple of days so sometimes I pop it in the fridge. If you chill it, it will last a few days longer. Just be sure to cover it tightly.
If you’ve been looking for a way to end summer and welcome fall with wide-open arms you must try this zucchini Texas sheet cake. It’s one of my family’s favorite cakes.
Check out some more of my favorite fall recipes
Don’t forget to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Zucchini Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups grated or shredded zucchini
Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter
- 6 tablespoons buttermilk
- 4 tablespoon cocoa
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350 degrees. Prepare a jelly roll pan by spraying a half sheet pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Blend together sugar, oil, and eggs.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, cocoa, and cinnamon and baking powder.
- With the mixer on medium, add flour mixture to the sugar and egg mixture. Then slowly add milk and zucchini until well combined.
- Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Allow cake to cook on a cooling rack.
- In a microwave safe medium sized mixing bowl add the butter, cover, and heat for 1 minute in the microwave.
- Remove from microwave. Stir in vanilla and buttermilk, place back in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds, stir, then heat for another 30 seconds, stir, heat for 30 seconds and stir and then heat for another 30 seconds.
- Remove from microwave and stir in cocoa and powder sugar, until well combined. Place back in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds, stir. Heat for another 30 seconds and stir, repeat 1 more time if needed until frosting is smooth and there are no clumps.
- Pour over brownies, and spread evenly. Let frosting cool and harden. Cut and serve. Enjoy!
Thanks, San. This one came in handy today.
Wishing the recipe would print out on one page. I find myself copying and pasting to a word document. Wishing that was just automatic that it would fit.
Can I double this recipe to go into a full sheet pan?
I love how versatile zucchini can be! Definitely going to give this a try; looks too good to pass up!
I do too! Enjoy!
MY whole famikly could not get enough of this, it was so moist and delicious!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
This Zucchini Texas Sheet Cake is looks incredibly delicious!
Thank you!
What an amazing idea! We have more zucchini than we know what to do with. My crew is tired of bread. I can’t wait to try this!
Thank you, enjoy!
Yum! This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to give this a try! It’s going to be a big hit here at the house!
Thank you, I hope you enjoy it!
This is such an amazing cake!! Everyone at my house loved it!
Thank you!
Not difficult to make and super delicious!! I’ll def be making more of these
So glad to hear that!
The best dessert to make with zucchini! Loved it! The frosting was perfect on top!
Thank you!
This looks awesome. It reminds me of a cake they used to serve with elementary school lunches. It was the highlight of the week when we would get it (just behind pizza day, at least).
I have to avoid egg whites, but I bet it would work just fine with an egg replacer.
What size pan? I have this baking in jelly roll pan and it is overflowing on the sides. Also not even close to being done. I thinking this is for a 1/2 sheet pan( cookie sheet)
I’m sorry for the confusion, it is definitely for a half sheet pan. The recipe instructions have been updated, thank you so much for bringing it to our attention! I hope it still tasted delicious and you were able to enjoy it.
I LOVE those recipe. Have made it several time, and every time it is Flawless. It’s the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever had- I found myself excited to get home after work just to eat it!!!! Love, love, love. Thank you so much for sharing your brilliance! ❤️
This literally made my day, thank you! Also, I am making it today for after school treat.
This is one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had. The zucchini makes such an amazing texture, and it’s so rich.
This is an absolute show stopper! Everyone could not stop raving about it and it went very fast!
Woah, this is a bomb! SO good!
Looks totally irresistible! Can’t wait to try this one!
Chocolate and veggies? Count me in!
Oh my goodness! I am drooling over this sheet cake! It looks amazingly delicious!
Does the icing get poured on the cake while it’s just hot out of the oven, or does it need to cool first? Looks delicious and I am excited to try it!
I cool mine first and that is a great question, I will update the post to reflect this, thank you!
San
This looks awesome and just what I was wanting to make for my veterinarian and staff! I can’t wait to make it – I have a huge zucchini someone gave me that I need to use. I was a little confused, though, when I read the name of the recipe was a cake, and at the bottom of the instructions, it said to pour the frosting over the “brownies”. Either one is great, but I wanted to know what to tell the staff when I present it – is it a cake, or brownies?
Cake, sorry I used my brownie frosting recipe, so I just copied from those directions, appreciate the catch!
Looks absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to make this!