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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 banana zucchini 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 large 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 dry ingredients: 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 cream cheese 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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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 post was originally published on August 27, 2021
Could you double it and use a 9×13?
Hey Kelly,
Yes, that should work well for you! I hope the recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
hi! my cake was mushy! I squeezed out my zucchini but maybe there’s too much zucchini? it wasn’t cake like just like mushy except for the edges. can you help me troubleshoot? the taste is delicious but the texture is terrible haha. I cooked it additional time after cutting into it still didn’t help.
Hey Jennifer,
So sorry to hear this. Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? How much zucchini did you use? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Oh I will bake this for sure! Tieghan, do you add salt to the zucchini before you squeeze out the excess water? I’m just afraid of over salting it since the recipe also uses a pinch of salt. Thank you!
Hey Jessie,
For this recipe I did not salt the zucchini, I just squeezed out the liquid using a dish cloth. I hope you give this recipe a try, please let me know if you make it! xTieghan
Hoping to make this this weekend as it looks phenomenal but cannot stand the taste of coffee, any suggestions regarding the frosting?
Hey Nicole,
You could just omit the coffee and have a vanilla frosting:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Should the zucchini be raw or cooked. Anyone tried it without the choc chips? Whst is convectioners sugsr and will it be better to swop the coconut oil for butter or vegetable oil?
Hey there,
The zucchini raw and feel free to skip the chocolate:) You can find confectioners sugar at your local grocery store in the baking aisle and either swap will work for the coconut oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made this and it’s delicious!! But, I wasn’t patient and put the frosting on before the cake cooled completely. It was a little runny but still tasted wonderful!
Hey Kelly,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Not sure I got the frosting just right but BAMMO this is Goo-oooo-ooood! I took the beaters to my 93 year old mother in law to lick – she was in hog heaven! She had frosting all over her face! She loved it! She’s having cake for dinner! Thank you for creating!
Hey Kristi,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
This looks so delicious! ? xx
Thanks so much Kelly-Jane! xTieghan
Just made it’s wonderful. What’s the best way to store? Thank you
Hey Eva,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! You can store in an airtight container on the counter, unless your kitchen is super warm I would keep in the fridge. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Any suggestions for high altitude adjustments?
Hey Kris,
No adjustments need to be made, you can follow the recipe as is:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! Enjoy! xTieghan
Do you think this recipe would turn out, using a Gluten Free Flour? Just a GF all purpose one-to-one flour?
I sure hope so, because I’m going to try it with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 flour!
Hey Arlene,
Yes, I think that would work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
LOOKS DELICIOUS! DO YOU HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE FROSTING RECIPE WITH THE CREAM CHEESE? I CANNOT EAT CREAM CHEESE.
Hey Jeanne,
I would just go ahead and omit the cream cheese and make a buttercream frosting. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This looks yummy but I do not like the taste of honey in recipes so can I sub out white sugar or brown and if so, how much would you suggest?
Also, I do not use coconut oil because according to a good friend, who is a certified nutritionist, it is not a healthy oil. It can raise bad cholesterol levels.That said, I am assuming any neutral oil would work…maybe even a light olive oil?
I have both zucchini and very ripe bananas ready to go and am looking forward to making this.
Thanks!
Hey Nancy,
I would use an equal amount of maple syrup or white sugar in place of the honey. You can use another oil that you like. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
This sounds delicious. Would baking expresso powder work in the icing or do you need to use instant coffee granules & then grind them more fine?
Thanks so much.
Hey Sarah,
I am sure baking espresso powder would also work well here. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Do you think the cake would still be delicious if the instant coffee was omitted from the frosting? I am thinking of making this for a lunch date with my sister-in-law and nieces and nephews. Don’t want to give the little ones any caffeine! The recipe sounds amazing 🙂
Hey Alicia,
Yes, totally fine to skip the instant coffee powder. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Looks delicious! Think this might work with yellow squash?
Hey Claire,
Sure, I bet that would be just fine to use! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
hi
can I sub sugar and brown sugar combo for the honey. I just am not a fan of honey at all. Looks delish!
Hey Marie,
Sure, I think that would work well for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan