This healthier, sweet bread-type breakfast cake is one of the best ways to use up zucchini and eat some sneaky veggies. It turns out moist and decadent but is filled with all real food ingredients you can feel good about. Kids and adults love this one as breakfast, snack, or dessert.
Or try our Banana Breakfast Cake instead.
I LOVE this easy method. No shredding zucchini ahead of time (and no green is visible in the cake to picky eaters). That’s right! We’re using the blender instead. You’ll have this cake in the oven in less than 15 minutes.
Ingredients Needed
Here are the stars of this breakfast cake show…
Cooking spray – I like to use non-propellent avocado oil spray . White whole wheat flour – I love this lighter, whole grain flour. It works much like all purpose flour but has more protein and fiber. Sometimes it can be hard to find, so a substitute for this would be to use half whole wheat and half unbleached all purpose. Baking powder and Baking soda – For leavening. Ground cinnamon, Salt , and Vanilla – For flavor. Avocado oil – This neutral oil adds moisture. Sub melted, cooled coconut oil. Large eggs Sugar – I use coconut sugar for a little healthier alternative. Honey does not work the same way as sugar in this recipe, so I’ve found it doesn’t work great as a substitute. Plain Greek yogurt – Nonfat or full fat works. If you want a little sweeter bread, use vanilla Greek yogurt for more sweetness. Overripe banana – Adds natural sweetness and moisture. Medium zucchini Mini chocolate chips
Equipment Needed
Gather up this kitchen equipment for the recipe, as well.
9×9 or 8×8 inch baking dish – We love our Caraway bakeware . It’s toxin-free, ceramic surface acts as a non-stick coating. The smart storage system makes it easy to see and grab. High-powered blender – You’ll blend all the wet ingredients in here, including the zucchini! I got a Vitamix blender on a Black Friday sale and have used it nearly every day for 5 years. Great investment! Large mixing bowl Whisk Wooden spoon Measuring cups Measuring spoons
How to Make Zucchini Breakfast Cake
Find the detailed, printable recipe at the bottom, but here’s an overview of how this recipe goes…
Prep
Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Spray an 9×9 inch or 8×8 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Wet Ingredients
Add the oil, eggs, sugar, yogurt, vanilla, banana, and zucchini to a high-powered blender. Secure the lid and blend until smooth.
Combine
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and stir just until it starts to come together (do not stir a lot here). Add the chocolate chips and stir until fully combined, being careful not to over mix.
Bake
Pour batter into the dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes for a 9×9 inch pan or 40-45 minutes for 8×8 inch pan, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out mostly clean. Place on a cooling rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
What to Serve with Breakfast Cake
Make this a well-rounded meal or brunch by adding some of these side dishes.
Baked Ham and Egg Cups
Classic Fruit Salad
Cheddar Chive Egg Bites
How to Bake Bacon in the Oven
Freezing Instructions
We are huge fans of make-ahead freezer meals. Not only have we written two freezer meal cookbooks , but we have a huge collection of freezer meals that are delicious, healthy, and easy! Zucchini Breakfast Cake is a recipe that freezes beautifully.
If you are already busting out all of the ingredients and utensils to make this breakfast cake, you might as well make two batches and freeze one for later. Here’s how:
To Freeze For Later: Bake breakfast cake just until done. Cool completely. Either cover the baking dish tightly in a few layers of foil or plastic wrap or carefully lift the cake out of the baking dish and wrap in several layers of foil or plastic wrap, pressing as much air out as you can.
To Prepare From Frozen : Thaw on the counter. Warm a slice in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and top with a pat of butter, if desired.
Variations and Substitutions
This breakfast cake recipe is fairly forgiving, so feel free to make some of these tweaks if you’d like.
Dairy-Free Version: Use non-dairy Greek yogurt and dairy-free chocolate chips. To Add More Sweetness: If you’d like to add more sweetness without altering the texture, use vanilla Greek yogurt in place of the plain Greek yogurt. Or simply spread a little honey on top of slice. Zucchini Substitute: Use diced carrot in place of the zucchini. Greek Yogurt Substitute: Use sour cream instead. I would not suggest using milk, since it didn’t seem to work as well in my tests. It threw off the acid balance and the outside browned too fast.
Why Is White Whole Wheat Flour So Important?
If you spend much time browsing through our baked goods, you’ll find that we almost always use white whole wheat flour (instead of just “whole wheat flour”). We’ve found that white whole wheat flour yields much fluffier/lighter-tasting results. It works in most recipes as a replacement for whole wheat flour. Here is a bit more about the difference between the two.
Here are some of our favorite recipes that use white whole wheat flour:
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
More Zucchini Recipes You’ll Love
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
Zucchini Pancakes
Healthy Zucchini Muffins
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cake
This healthier, moist, and sweet breakfast cake is one of the best ways to use up zucchini and eat some sneaky veggies. The best part is how easy it is–no shredding of zucchini required.
Yield: 9 servings
Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 35 minutes Total: 50 minutes
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