Bad secrets are unacceptable, but good secrets? Well, they can be everything! Divine Secret Chocolate Cake holds the secret to the most moist, delicious cake, and that secret — a heavenly combination of cocoa powder, espresso powder, and — well, let’s let the tension build before we reveal it. These rich, dark, and sweet flavors come together to form the most decadent cake that any chocolate-lover will go crazy over! This Divine Secret Chocolate Cake is simply angelic among chocolate cakes because of its texture and taste… and the classified, whisper-under-your-breath, top secret ingredient? Zucchini! Can you believe it?! The secret is out of the bag, and we just know you are going to love it as much as we do!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups zucchini, shredded
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
For the topping:
- chocolate or vanilla frosting, to taste, store-bought or homemade
- semisweet chocolate chips, optional, to taste
- chocolate sprinkles, optional, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Grease two (9-inch) round cake pans.
Step 3 –Line the greased cake pans with parchment paper rounds and then grease the parchment paper.
Step 4 –In a large bowl, add the flour, the cocoa powder, the baking soda, the baking powder, the espresso powder, and the salt and whisk to combine.
Step 5 –In a separate large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the canola oil, the white sugar, the brown sugar, the eggs, the sour cream, the vanilla extract, and the zucchini and, using a hand mixer or the stand mixer’s paddle or whisk attachment, mix until combined.
Step 6 –With the mixer on medium speed, add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture and beat until completely combined.
Step 7 –Add 1 cup of the chocolate chips to the batter mixture and beat to combine. The batter will be slightly thick.
Step 8 –Evenly pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.
Step 9 –Bake until the cakes are baked through and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean, about 25-32 minutes.
Step 10 –Transfer the cake pans from the oven to a wire rack and let them cool completely before frosting.
Step 11 –Carefully loosen the cakes and transfer them from the pans.
Step 12 –On a flat surface with a serrated knife, place the cakes, one at a time, and thinly slice off the top layer of each of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard the crumbs or use them for a dessert topping.
Step 13 –Transfer the first cake layer to the cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate and evenly cover the top of the first cake layer with the frosting.
Step 14 –Add the second cake layer on top of the frosting layer and evenly spread the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Step 15 –If you have any leftover frosting you may pipe or dot the cake for decoration.
Step 16 –Garnish the cake with the extra chocolate chips and the chocolate sprinkles.
Step 17 –Cut the cake into serving-size slices and serve.
