Instant Pot Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Cake

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Instant Pot Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Cake is a soft, moist, healthy way to eat your veggies and get your daily dose of chocolate too!  Bursting with dark chocolate flavor and loaded with hidden vegetables, this cake “bakes” into the most amazing texture inside the pressure cooker.  Drizzle it with peanut butter and hit it with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for the ultimate chocolate lovers experience.

Wanna know what inspired this recipe?  This chocolate dessert bomb Brownie Pudding.

Since having kids, my body doesn't tolerate sugar well which means I felt a tiny bit left out when my kids' faces, hands, and clothes were smeared with chocolate from their delightfully gooey brownie pudding.

Side note: Don't you love how young kids are completely unaware when they have food smeared all over their faces?  It makes me giggle just thinking about it.

I wanted to jump in on the messy chocolate action, but I had to find a dark chocolate, minimally sweetened way to do it.

I have been making these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins for a couple of years now and every time they get cheers all around the table.

It's a great way to use up overripe avocados and the giant tub of coconut sugar I bought on a whim once upon a time.

With this muffin recipe as my guide, I created the deepest, darkest, most moist and delightful “cake” I've had in a very long time.

I've doubled the veggies from the original, nixed the oil, increased the eggs, decreased the sugar, and “baked” it all up in one pan to create the Ultimate Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Cake!

Why call it a “muffin cake” you might ask?  Because “cake” is dessert, “muffin” is breakfast, “muffin cake” is breakfast that tastes like dessert.  See how that works?

WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI MUFFIN CAKE

• Two cups of zucchini and two avocados – you and your kids are basically eating a salad for breakfast and loving every second of it!
• No muffin liners, no scooping batter into muffin tins, just scrape the entire thing into one pan and you are ready to “bake”.
• Naturally sweetened with coconut sugar, a newer sweetener on the block that I'm still trying to form my opinion about – more on that below.  Don't own coconut sugar?  No worries, I've got substitution ideas below.
• Speckled with my favorite dark chocolate chips so you get those surprise melty chocolate bites throughout.
• It's not Brownie Pudding level ooey-gooey, but the super moist interior is most definitely walking that fudgy line.
• Peanut butter drizzle.  Always buy natural peanut butter that you have to stir so you can have that sensational, drizzle-able PB.  Add a dash of flaky sea salt and die happy.

HOW TO MAKE ZUCCHINI CAKE IN THE PRESSURE COOKER

1. Place the avocados, eggs, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a blender
2. Blend until VERY smooth
3. Whisk together dry ingredients
4. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips
5. Stir wet batter into dry mixture
6. Scrape into a pan and top with a few more chocolate chips
7. Place pan on a silicone or homemade tinfoil sling
8. Cook in the pressure cooker
9. Dig in!

SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE

• Blend the wet ingredients until they are VERY smooth.  One chunk of avocado and suddenly the entire family thinks you're out to get them (insert eye roll emoji).  The blender does the best job at this, but a food processor, or a fork plus your persistence will also do the job.
• Shred the zucchini fine.  My favorite way to do this is with my food processor because it does it in about 5 seconds, but the small holes on a box grater will also work.
• Stir the zucchini and chocolate chips into the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients.  This batter is super thick and this trick will make sure the zucchini is well incorporated throughout the batter, instead of in big clumps.  Also, heaven forbid that one kid gets 5 chocolate chips in his piece and the other gets 2.  WE NEED TO ENSURE EVEN DISTRIBUTION PEOPLE!
• As written with 1/2 cup coconut sugar, this cake is DARK!  I might compare it to an 80-85% dark chocolate bar.  This is my happy place, but even my kids and husband swoon over it because the pops of chocolate chips keep it from tasting too bitter to them.  If you want more of a 70-80% dark chocolate muffin, you'll want to increase the sugar or chocolate chips (more on that in the recipe).
• The avocado taste is easily hidden under the chocolate, but if it makes you nervous, go ahead and swap for pumpkin puree or mashed bananas.
• When you first open the pot after the cake is done cooking, you're going to think the top of it looks underdone.  It will be moist and a tad sticky – THAT'S OKAY!  The extra moisture will evaporate and once you slice into it you'll be rewarded with a super moist, almost fudgy muffin cake interior.

HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE MUFFIN CAKE

• Store:  Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 4 days.  To prevent the cake from becoming dry, consider wrapping individual pieces in plastic wrap.
• Reheat:  While still delicious at room temperature, this cake is even better slightly warm.  Reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
• Freeze:  This Muffin Cake freezes very well!  Wrap slices in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.  Let thaw at room temperature, or reheat gently in the microwave.

VARIATIONS OF CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI AVOCADO CAKE

• Chocolate Zucchini Banana Cake:  Swap the avocado for about 1 1/3 cup of mashed bananas.  This will naturally make the cake sweeter as well.
• Chocolate Zucchini Pumpkin Cake:  May also swap the avocado for pumpkin puree or, even better, Homemade Pumpkin Butter!
• Gluten Free Cake: I haven't tried it, but I believe this Gluten Free 1:1 baking flour would work great.

Extra TIDBITS

WHAT IS COCONUT SUGAR?

• Coconut sugar isn't actually made from coconuts, but is a plant-derived sugar made from the sap of a coconut palm tree.  The sap is heated, and once evaporated, results in brown coconut sugar granules that look similar to regular white sugar.  The sweetness level is very similar to white and brown sugar and it has a delightful caramel flavor.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING COCONUT SUGAR?

• Low Glycemic Index:  Coconut Sugar has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar which results in it being broken down more slowly in the body.  This means that it won't cause huge spikes in blood glucose levels like regular sugar does.
• Contains More Vitamins and Minerals:  Coconut Sugar contains more nutrients than granulated sugar.  Vitamin C, iron, sodium, potassium, antioxidants, etc.  However, they are in trace amounts which means you'd have to consume quite a bit of coconut sugar to get any of the benefits.
• Contains Inulin:  Inulin is a type of dietary fiber that can improve gut health.  This is also the reason why coconut sugar absorption is slower in the body resulting in a lower glycemic index.

My overall thoughts on coconut sugar:

While it does have some health benefits that regular table sugar does not, the body will still recognize and store it similar to regular sugar if eaten in excessive amounts.

Like all sweeteners, natural or not, consume in moderation, THE END.

For me, my body handles it better and I enjoy the flavor of it so it is an occasionally used ingredient in my kitchen.

If you don't want to buy it, regular white or brown sugar make an excellent substitute.

Was your New Year's Resolution to get more chocolate in your life?  Yep, mine too!

This ultra chocolatey Zucchini Avocado Muffin Cake is your answer and you can now check that one off your list!

And if you happen to be covered with chocolate smears after you finish off your slice of cake, here is a virtual high five coming your way for not worrying about what you look like when it comes to devouring chocolate.  Let's be friends.

Enjoy!

MORE HEALTHY INSTANT POT CHOCOLATE RECIPES

• Homemade Instant Pot Chocolates
• Instant Pot Chocolate Popcorn
• Instant Pot Chocolate Syrup
• Instant Pot Crio Bru (my favorite chocolate drink!)

TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE

• Instant Pot
• 7 inch Cake Pan
• Food Processor
• High Speed Blender
• Coconut Sugar

Instant Pot Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Cake

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.3 from 3 reviews

Rich, dark, healthy Chocolate Muffin Cake “baked” in your pressure cooker!

• Author: Marci
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 70 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Pressure Cooker
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 medium avocados, peeled and pitted
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup coconut sugar (may substitute with granulated sugar or brown sugar) – see notes regarding sweetness level
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups finely shredded zucchini, squeezed and drained of excess liquid
• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips, plus extra for topping
• Optional: Natural peanut butter for drizzling and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt

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Instructions

1. Spray a 7 inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. To a blender or food processor add avocados, eggs, sugar, milk, and vanilla.  Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides if needed. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips until they are well distributed into the flour mixture (i.e., no clumps of zucchini).
4. Pour in avocado mixture and use a spatula to stir just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
5. Scrape batter into the cake pan and smooth the top.  
6. Pour 1 cup water into the pressure cooker pot and place a trivet inside.
7. Center the filled pan on a foil or silicone sling and lower the pan onto the trivet.
8. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position.  Cook at high pressure for 40 minutes.
9. When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 5 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.  The cake should be moist on top, but set. If the batter is still loose and wet, return to the pressure cooker for another 5 minutes.
10. Carefully remove the cake pan to a wire rack and let cool uncovered for 5 minutes.  
11. Slice and serve!  Drizzle each serving with runny peanut butter and sprinkle with a pinch of flaky sea salt.

Notes

• This is a DARK chocolate cake, as in, not overly sweet.  To make it sweeter, use ⅔ cup of sugar and ⅓ cup chocolate chips.  
• May substitute the avocados with about 1 ⅓ cup of mashed bananas or pumpkin puree.
• The cake is moist and fudgy, but not wet and gooey.  Pressure cook another 5 minutes if the cake seems underdone.
• This cake stores well in the fridge or freezer, but may dry out a bit after the second day.  To prevent this, cut into slices and wrap each tightly with plastic wrap for storing.

Keywords: Healthy Breakfast, Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Instant Pot breakfast

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