I love veggies. But I also love chocolate and everything sweet. So, why not combine them both? These moist vegan chocolate zucchini donuts with cream cheese frosting are a delicious way to add extra veg into your day- without even noticing.
As a child I’ve always enjoyed a slice of carrot cake or carrot cake muffins at birthday parties. However, when I first came across a sweet recipe that called for zucchini I thought it was quite strange. So I decided to better stay off these creations.
As baked goods with this veggie kept showing up whenever I searched for a baking inspiration I finally changed my mind and gave it a try: surprise, it wasn’t weird at all. The zucchini add even a bit more moisture to things like banana bread or muffins. And in combination with chocolate, it won’t even be seen.
These days I am glad to say, I will definitively give a recipe a go that’s sweet AND has hidden veggies in it. Whether that’s chickpeas, beets, carrots- or zucchini.
About these moist vegan chocolate zucchini donuts with cream cheese frosting
These moist vegan chocolate zucchini donuts are so simple to make and don’t call for any „miraculous“ ingredients or special kitchen equipment. In fact, you don’t even have to make donuts out of the batter in case you shouldn’t posses such a tray. Just use muffin forms and it will be equally delicious!
All you need is grated zucchini (of course), flour, ground hazelnuts, baking soda and powder, cacao powder, apple sauce, almond butter and sparkling water. They are filled with dark chocolate flavours and have a moist, soft consistency.
The chocolate cream cheese frosting makes the perfect finish, both look and taste wise. I also sprinkled cacao nibs on top to add some crunch. Delicious.
One thing that’s important to note if you bake with zucchini is to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Otherwise the end result is very likely to be soggy and mushy!
I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you should try it please leave a comment and let me know how you like it!
ALL THE BEST
Moist vegan chocolate zucchini donuts with cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
- 150 g flour (regular or a gluten free mix)
- 75 g coconut sugar
- 40 g cacao powder
- 2 heaped Tbsp (20g) ground hazelnuts
- 1 Tbsp (8g) ground flaxseeds
- 1 small zucchini (around 130g)
- 125 g apple sauce
- 1 Tsp baking powder
- 1/2 Tsp baking soda
- 2 Tbsp (30g) almond butter
- 1/3 Cup (80ml) plant milk
- 1/3 Cup sparkling water
chocolate cream cheese frosting
- 80 g (vegan) cream cheese
- 1 heaped Tbsp (20g) maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp cacao powder
- 1/4 Tsp orange zest
- handful of cacao nibs or chocolate sprinkles to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C. Lightly grease a donut baking form and set aside.
- Grate the zucchini and squeeze out as much water as you can using a kitchen towel. Set aside too.
- Mix the flaxseeds with 3 Tbsp water and let soak for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile add the flour, cacao powder, ground hazelnuts, baking powder and soda and coconut sugar to a bowl.
- In another smaller bowl stir together the sparkling water, milk, almond butter, apple sauce and ready made flax egg.
- Combine the wet and the dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms. Add the zucchini and mix again.
- Fill the donut molds and bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from the tray. Repeat until there is no more batter left.
chocolate cream cheese frosting
- Mix all ingredients for the frosting. Spread it equally on top of each donut and sprinkle on some cacao nibs/ chocolate sprinkles if using. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer. Enjoy!
