Chocolate Marble Zucchini Cake w/ Greek Yogurt
Breakfast for the rest of summer?
Make it THIS.
Swirls of health, temptation, and happiness. All baked in one neat little loaf.
What’s great about this cake is that it is made with NO butter, so you don’t need to feel an ounce of guilt while eating it. Fueled by protein-packed Greek yogurt + heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil, this cake is so luscious, so moist, so insanely delicious, you’d never know it’s completely butter-free.
But more than a splurge without regret, this cake is simply FUN. The swirls are a delight to create, the top crisps and crunches to outstanding texture perfection. And most importantly, it has zucchini!!
Green stuff always equals healthy stuff.
This is a really simple cake to master, so even novice bakers should give it a go. You start by finely grating zucchini, then squeezing it through a cheesecloth to remove the juices. Zucchini is a very, very, VERY water dense vegetable, so the squeezing is an absolute must. Too much water will throw of the balance of the cake, so work those biceps and get as much water out as you can.
Next you prepare the batter, which features all of the usual suspects — flour, egg, baking powder, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy, then alternately incorporate with the greek yogurt and flour before lastly beating in the olive oil until smooth. Extract about a third of the batter from the bowl, then combine with melted dark chocolate. Finally add the grated and squeezed zucchini to the remaining vanilla batter, and it’s time to assemble!
It sounds a bit complicated, but I swear it’s so much easier than you think.
In order to form the best marble possible, you need to have come patience. If the loaf pan were layers, here’s how I spooned in the batter:
Vanilla Chocolate Vanilla
Chocolate Vanilla Chocolate
Vanilla Chocolate Vanilla
… and on and on until all batters have been used. When you’re ready, gently run a butter knife in a weaving formation from one end of the loaf pan to the other, then you’re set! Send some emails, fill your brows, and wait 60 minutes until the cake is finished.
What’s amazing about this cake is that not only is the no-butter a surprise, the zucchini is too! Dave HATES when I “sneak” things into baked goods, so naturally I didn’t tell him that this cake had a double whammy of Greek yogurt and zucchini. And for one judgey, very particular person, he had NO clue the cake contained either! In fact, he was so shocked when I finally told him — about three slices later — he was actually kind of pissed.
Which, in my world, means a job well done.
Between the Greek yogurt, olive oil, and water-dense zucchini, this cake is king when it comes to texture. I keep saying I know people hate the word moist, but sorry — This is the moistest cake ever. Gently fluffy with a bounce-like spring, it’s mouth-wateringly delicious in every way possible.
And best of all, the dark chocolate means it’s not too sweet for breakfast!
Pair with some fruit, pour an espresso, and you’re off to the races. xo

Chocolate Marble Zucchini Cake w/ Greek Yogurt
Ingredients:
- 1 zucchini, finely grated (should yield 1/2 cup tightly packed)
- 1 cup full-fat greek yogurt
- 3 tbsps skim milk (I used 2%)
- 4 oz semi-sweet dark chocolate chunks
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted + more for loaf pan
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 5 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- shortening to grease
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350F. Amply grease an 8″ x 4″ or 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with shortening, then dust with flour.
- Using a cheesecloth, squeeze out any excess water from the grated zucchini. I squeezed mine 5 – 7 times to ensure I got as much liquid out as I could, so be diligent!
- In a small mixing bowl combine the greek yogurt and skim milk, stirring until combined.
- In a large bowl melt the dark chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds until smooth, about 45 seconds total.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, whisking well. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the sugar and eggs, beating on medium-high speed for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla, then beat 1 minute more. Next, reduce speed to medium-low, then add half of the flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in the yogurt mixture until combined, then the remaining flour. Lastly beat in the olive oil until the batter is completely mixed and smooth.
- Scoop about 1/3 of the batter into the melted dark chocolate, then gently fold until well mixed. Add the zucchini to the remaining batter (the vanilla part).
- Fill the greased and floured loaf pan with alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate batters. Swirl gently with a butter knife to create a marbled effect, then bake on oven middle rack for 50 – 55 minutes until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Cool completely, then remove from loaf pan and slice!