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The best and (easiest) Chocolate Zucchini Banana Cake with Vanilla Coffee Frosting. No fuss, super quick to mix up, and SO DELICIOUS! Yes, that pretty much sums up this zucchini banana cake. It’s the perfect simple cake to bake up this weekend and use up all that summer zucchini! With over-ripe bananas, zucchini, salted butter, and a good amount of creamy vanilla coffee frosting this is sure to become a favorite. Perfect as an afternoon snack or a late-night dessert.
I’ve been holding onto this recipe for of couple weeks now, waiting for just the right time share. And today is the day! I wanted to wait until late August, when all of the garden fresh zucchini was at its peak harvest.
If you’re growing zucchini in the garden this year, my hope is that you have plenty on hand to bake up in this cake. And if you’re not a gardener, the grocery store should still be able to meet your needs.
Either way, you guys have to bake this cake this weekend. It’s one of my favorites of the summer.
The inspiration
First up, some of you may remember my banana cake from a few years back. It’s a reoccurring staple in my kitchen. And a recipe that’s so simple and easy to make, we just love it!
Secondly, summer zucchini. I love my recipes for zucchini bread that I’ve shared, but I’ve never tried making a zucchini banana bread. Once I had that idea it quickly shifted into more of a zucchini banana cake, since I really, really wanted to add a frosting.
And finally, the frosting. It was really my reason behind wanting to bake a cake. It’s a frosting recipe I developed for another recipe back in the fall of last year. And it’s one that I LOVE so much. Anything vanilla coffee is always a favorite.
I put the cake and the frosting together and something magical and delicious happened. This cake is so good!
Here’s how I make my zucchini banana cake
The first step is the zucchini. Here’s the thing, when baking with zucchini it’s really important to remove any excess moisture (so the water). You want to do this so your baked goods don’t end up super dense and watered down. Simply shred the zucchini, then ring the zucchini to squeeze out all the excess water. It’s really easy, the drier you can get the zucchini, the lighter your cake will be.
The rest of this recipe is VERY easy. The cake itself is made in just one bowl!
Find yourself some very ripe bananas, I’m talking practically black bananas everyone. Very, very brown bananas are KEY. They keep this cake, flavorful, sweet, and incredibly moist.
Mash up the bananas and then mix with a little coconut oil, honey, a couple of eggs, and a splash of vanilla. Next, add the flour, a pinch of cinnamon, and a dash of salt. Stir in some shredded zucchini and then fold in lots of chocolate chunks. The chocolate isn’t needed, but it certainly takes the cake to a whole new level.
Bake and 30 minutes later your house is going to smell incredible. Nothing smells better than a sweet banana based dessert baking away.
Now, on to that creamy vanilla coffee frosting
This is the real secret to this cake. It takes the recipe from average to really darn good.
I wanted the frosting to be light and whipped with just the right amounts of vanilla and coffee flavored throughout. I used a bit of cream cheese to keep it light and creamy. Then added instant espresso powder and real vanilla for flavor.
It’s not your everyday frosting, but I promise it’s delicious.
Once the cake is out of the oven, let it cool, then frost and enjoy! Every last bite leaves you wanting another.
The perfect cake to bake up now, but also enjoy into fall. That frosting reminds me of a warming spice latte. It’s already getting me excited for what’s to come!
Looking for other sweet zucchini recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Zucchini Bread
Sneaky Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Coconut Bread
Zucchini Peach Streusel Muffins
Lastly, if you make this Chocolate Zucchini Banana Cake with Vanilla Coffee Frosting, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Zucchini Banana Cake with Coffee Frosting
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 660 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 small zucchini, grated (about 1 1/2 cups grated, before squeezing out water)
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup mashed)
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chunks
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.2. Place the shredded zucchini in a clean towel, then squeeze out any excess water. 3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, coconut oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, mix until just combined. Stir in the zucchini. Fold in the chocolate. Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the center is just set. Remove and let cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting.4. To make the frosting, dissolve the instant coffee in 1 tablespoon hot water. In a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, coffee, and vanilla. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes more. 5. Spread the frosting over cake. Slice, snack, and enjoy!
This turned out Fantastic! I baked it for 40 minutes because I’m at 3000 elevation. I will make it again and again. YuM! The trick with Zucchini is you grate it. Let it sit for about 30 minutes in your bowl. Then squeeze it super good to get the water out. Maybe this is why people are having difficulty. Super great recipe!! Thank you I love ALL your recipes!
Hey Joe,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you, I am so glad it was a hit! Happy Friday! xT
Hi! I made this and loved it-would it work to double and use a 9×13 pan?
Thx!☺️
Hi Erica,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Sure, that would work well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Can i sub espresso for the instant coffee?
Hi Carla,
Sure, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Curious about the other commenters who ended up with “raw” seeming cakes. Mine also ended up with a very wet, close-textured result, almost like there was no rise to it. I baked for about 40 minutes at 350 in a baking pan. The frosting was amazing but the cake was a flop but I’m convinced it’s fixable just not sure how.
Hi Casey,
So sorry to hear about your cake. Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Were any of your ingredients expired? Let me know how I can help! xx
Thanks for writing back! Everything was ok as far as I can tell. I tested the baking side with vinegar today to make sure it was ok. All the ingredients were at room temp and I even weighed the flour to be precise. I wonder if the absence of an acid, like baking powder for the baking soda to react with, was a possible culprit? But obviously the results for lots of people have been great so I’m not sure.
*baking soda
What could you use instead of cream cheese?
Hey Debbie,
Mascarpone or ricotta would work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
All I have are frozen bananas right now..could I use those thawed instead of fresh?
Hi Deb,
You bet, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try:) xTieghan
I really want to try this recipe but I recently went gluten free. Do you think a 1 to 1 gluten free flour would work in this?
Hey Lauren,
Yes, I think that would work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xx
Baked 15 minutes longer than recommended still raw in the middle
Hi Kim,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, sorry to hear you had some issues. Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? What kind of pan did you bake this in? A little more info would help me to better figure out what went wrong:) xTieghan
You might just need new baking soda! This has happened to me a few times with other recipes, and that’s always been the culprit.
Thanks for sharing Maddie!
AHHHMAZING! This cake is SO good I had to give it all away so I did not eat the entire thing in 1 sitting!
Hey Meg,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xx
I don’t know what I did wrong… I baked it for 35 minutes and my cake tester came out clean. However when I went to serve this yummy looking cake the whole middle was totally raw. Never had this happen before. We ate the edges of the cake and it was delicious.
Hi Brenda,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe! Sorry to hear you had some issues, I would say it needed to bake longer. You can always stick a knife in 2 separate spots of the cake to ensure the cake is fully baked! xTieghan
I love this combination of flavors. I have made it 3 times this zucchini season already, and it holds up marvelously! I’ve made some minor alterations to my preference, but this combo of flavors is unbeatable.
Hey Carli,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was tasty!?
Finally made this! What a great use for zucchini. My frosting seems like it came out darker and not nearly as fluffy. ( i think that is my fault for not following directions carefully.) it tastes great and looks super cute for something with a vegetable in it!
My only intentional variation was doing two cake pans instead of a square pan and layered the two with frosting in between.
Hi Katie!
Happy Friday!!? I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
I made this tonight and everyone enjoyed it. I omitted the confectioner sugar and coffee in the icing and used honey and vanilla. So light and delicious.
Hi Amanda,
Amazing!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback:)
I have made this cake multiple times (sometimes multiple times in the same week!). My husband and I love this cake. Delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Pat,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it:) Have the best week! xxT
This cake was amazing! I made it this week for my husband’s birthday – really sad that it is now finished. I will be making again.
Hi Suzie,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for sharing your review and making this recipe. Love to hear that it was a winner! xxT