Zucchini Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting is a real treat and an old fashion dessert favourite. This easy to make, lightly spiced cake is super moist and flavorful thanks to the shredded zucchini. Luscious Cream Cheese Frosting is totally optional but recommended and provides just the right touch of rich decadence. A cousin of Carrot Cake, Zucchini Cake is a moist lightly sweet cake incorporating grated zucchini squash. If you have not enjoyed a slice you have come to the right place - This lightly sweet, relaxed easy breezy one-layer Zucchini Cake is a perfect choice.
What is Zucchini Cake - Vegetables In Cake?
Like grated carrots or mashed bananas in cake Shredded Zucchini in cake serves an important purpose in adding moisture to cake. The trick to making a perfect zucchini cake is to get the moisture balance right. Zucchini is an excellent moisture vehicle because it provides a lot of water without any additional fat or flavor. When you’re using an ingredient like zucchini, you need to know how to pick the right kind for your cake. Small to medium zucchini are perfect for baking.
Zucchini Cake Recipe Ingredients
Homemade zucchini cake has the same ingredients as a regular cake. The addition of grated zucchini and cream cheese is what makes this recipe special!
- All-Purpose Flour (regular or gluten-free) If making gluten-free use a measure-for-measure flour blend (I used Bobs Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour)
- Baking Soda, Baking Powder & Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar - adds extra flavour and moisture but feel free to use all granulated sugar if you prefer.
- Warm Spices - I love to use a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger - Zucchini itself is fairly bland. Add warm spices to the batter. Use as little or as much as you prefer
- Eggs - large and room temperature
- Vegetable Oil - any neutral one like canola or you can also use coconut oil or olive oil too - allows this cake to stay moist for days
- Vanilla Extract - I prefer using pure extract over essence for more flavour
- Whole Milk - or you can use a dairy free one here too like almond milk
- Grated Zucchini - no need to peel or squeeze all the moisture out of them
- Walnuts - I love to add chopped walnuts to add some crunch and texture to this cake but this is optional and you can use pecans if you prefer to. You can also add chocolate chips too if you prefer
- For the Frosting - Cream Cheese, Powdered Sugar, Butter, Vanilla extract, Cream or milk
How To Make Zucchini Cake – Step by Step
This cake is easy to make! It’s not fussy in the least. No matter what your baking skill level it’s a wonderful cake to make. For detailed printable instructions refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the blog post.
- Prepare Pan and Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch round springform pan or a 9-inch round regular cake pan.
- Combine wet ingredients: Beat sugars, eggs, oil, vanilla, and milk with an electric mixer until creamy and combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugars and spices
- Combine Wet & Dry ingredients: Gradually add in the flour mixture into the wet mixture while beating. Mix and stir batter together until combined.
- Stir in Zucchini: Fold in the grated zucchini to the batter
- Bake: Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth as necessary and Bake - TIP: check the cake at 30 minutes and bake longer if needed. Top will golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely. Make frosting if desired or simply sprinkle with powdered sugar
Zucchini Cake Tips & FAQ’s
- Do you peel the zucchini? No! The peel is nutritious, beautiful, and tasty!
- Do I need to squeeze the water out of the shredded zucchini? No, I use the zucchini as is. I like to grate it shortly before I add it to the batter, though.
- Can I use yellow summer squash in this cake? I have tried this and don’t love the result, but you can use golden zucchini, which works great.
- This cake is better the second day so ideally bake the cake a day in advance and ice the cake the day you are going to serve it.
- Grate the unpeeled zucchini with the large end of a box grater or use a food processor to shred it if you prefer
- Bring your eggs to room temperature and allow time for your cream cheese to come to room temperature and soften before making the frosting.
- Check for doneness after 30 minutes and every 5 minutes or so after that. Insert a toothpick in the center to make sure no wet batter clings to it. This cake is best not over-baked.
- The cake must be fully cooled before icing.
- Sprinkle with Powdered Sugar - the cream cheese frosting is optional. The Zucchini Cake flavor is light. A sprinkle of powdered sugar may be all you want if you prefer the cake alone without the frosting.
How to store, make ahead and serve zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting:
- Un-iced cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days before frosting. Freshly baked un-iced zucchini cake will keep well for about 1 week in the fridge when properly stored wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.
- The cream cheese frosting should be stored in the refrigerator once it is iced. The Cream Cheese Frosting is easiest to work with when it’s freshly made.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving. Flavors are muted in a cold cake so it’s best served closer to room temperature.
- To Make ahead, bake and freeze the cake until the day you’re ready to serve. Make the frosting and ice the cake just before serving.
- To save leftovers – wrap each piece of cake in plastic wrap and freezer bags and freeze individually. Take a piece out and bring it back to room temperature before enjoying.
- Can I make this cake into a layered cake? Absolutely it makes a fabulous layer cake. Double or triple the recipe depending on how many layers you would like. Double the recipe for a bundt cake, or use a tube pan or a rectangular pan. Baking times will be longer if making a bundt cake or tube cake - approx 50-60 minutes.
If you like this zucchini recipe you will love these:
Recipe
Yields: one 8 inch round springform pan or 9 inch round regular cake pan
Servings: 8-10
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 30-40 mins
Ingredients
- 1½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ¾ cup Granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Light brown sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- ½ cup Vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Whole milk room temperature
- 1½ cups Grated Zucchini
- ½ cup Chopped Walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1¼ cups Confectioner’s (powdered) sugar sifted to remove lumps
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Heavy Cream or whole milk
Directions
For the zucchini cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch round cake pan.
- In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- In a large bowl beat together sugars, eggs, oil, vanilla, and milk with an electric mixer until creamy and combined.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture into the wet mixture while beating. Mix batter together until combined. Do not over mix
- Fold in the grated zucchini and the chopped walnuts.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven. Cool for 5 minutes in the baking pan on cooling rack then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the frosting
- To make the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and heavy cream and beat until smooth.
- Frost cooled cake with cream cheese frosting slice and enjoy. Decorating with peeled zucchini curls is optional. Feel free to serve plain or with chopped walnuts or pecans over top frosting.
Recipe Notes
Each oven runs a bit different so the baking times will vary according to your oven - TIP: check the cake at 30 minutes and bake longer if needed. Top will golden brown. How to Store, Make Ahead and Serve Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Un-iced cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days before frosting. Freshly baked zucchini bread will keep well for about 1 week in the fridge when properly stored wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.
- The cream cheese frosting should be stored in the refrigerator once it is iced. The Cream Cheese Frosting is easiest to work with when it’s freshly made.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving. Flavors are muted in a cold cake so it’s best served closer to room temperature.
- To Make ahead, bake and freeze the cake until the day you’re ready to serve. Make the frosting and ice the cake just before serving.
- To save leftovers – wrap each piece of cake in plastic wrap and freezer bags and freeze individually. Take a piece out and bring it back to room temperature before enjoying.
