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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:Â
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!
Hi! Do you have the nutritional info for just the cake? Not the cake with the icing? Thank you!!
Hi there! I am so sorry I do not! xT
We loved this so much and it comes together so quickly and easily! We are drowning in zucchini and I came to HBH for some inspiration and I’m grateful I found this recipe. The coffee frosting is the magic finishing touch, but it would be good even without it. This one is going in the “keeper” binder.
Love that this recipe helped put your zucchini to good use! xT
YUM! So easy and delicious! Such a perfect way to sneak in a little bit of healthy eating to my tiramisu loving granddaughters. More please!
Hi Jan,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, thanks so much for making it:)
Does this need to be stored in the fridge? I’m thinking maybe because of the frosting it should be?
Hi Cindy,
You can keep this on the counter in an airtight container:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Is this recipe featured in any of your cookbooks? I love it so much!
Thanks so much Rachel!! This recipe is only on the blog:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
This looks fantastic. Can I substitute the coconut oil for a different oil like avocado or olive?Don’t like the fat content of coconut oil. Thank you!!!!
Hi Sandra,
Totally, any other neutral oil will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
The flavors, the texture, the icing! Oh my, this is such an amazing cake! Everyone at our bible study loved it. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!!!
Hey Lee,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Hi! This is such a good recipe, thank you for sharing!
My cream cheese icing has separated and become grainy, what have I done?
Thanks!
Hey Emily,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! So sorry to hear about your cream cheese! Was there anything you adjusted in the frosting? I’m not sure why that would happen! xx
This happened to me the first time i made this cake because I didn’t beat the icing enough. When I’ve made it since I’ve beaten the icing for longer and the icing was perfect and fluffy.
Thanks so much for sharing Megan!!
Hi there!
Could I make these in regular cake pans and stack? Or would it be too dense?
Thanks,
Tory B
Hey Tory,
I probably wouldn’t recommend this recipe to be made as a layer cake, the frosting is pretty soft. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Can I sub coffee for the instant coffee??
Making this tonight and can’t wait!
Hi Haley,
For this recipe, you will want to use the instant coffee:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I love this cake! We have made it twice and I’m making it again for a gathering, but I am out of honey! What can I substitute?
Hi Ruth,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! You can use maple syrup in place of the honey. Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xT
Hi Tieghan.
First, I enjoy your blog and recipes very much! Thanks for sharing!
Can you freeze this frosting?
Looking forward to trying this recipe this weekend!
Lou x
Hey Lou,
Thanks so much for your kind message! I’ve never tried to freeze the frosting before, I’m not sure it would be the best idea, but you could definitely freeze the cake portion! I hope you love this recipe:) xTieghan
I read through some comments and apologies if you have answered this question.
How would you alter the recipe to make this into cupcakes? Temp and cooking time?
Ahhh so many zucchini to harvest! Though it may be nice to make cupcakes to freeze for lunches.
Hey Anita,
You could follow the recipe as is and leave the oven temp the same, I would just start checking for doneness at 20-25 minutes. Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This cake is delicious!! I’m not sure it even needs the frosting, but the frosting is an added bonus. Definitely a keeper!!
Hi Corrina,
Perfect! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a hit! xxT
What can you substitute for bananas? I’m allergic but would love to try this recipe!
Hi Kristine,
You could try using and equal amount of pumpkin. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx