An irresistibly light and moist zucchini cake – with a full cup of zucchini packed into the recipe!
Hello, zucchini season!!!
Lately, the zucchini just looks so good when I’m grocery shopping that somehow it always makes its way into my cart. And then when I get it home, I have to figure out what to do with it all! This past week, I’ve made sautéed zucchini, grilled zucchini, zucchini fritters, zucchini burgers, zucchini bread, and my all-time favorite Chocolate Zucchini Brownies (highly recommended if you haven’t tried them yet!).
Yet somehow, I still had zucchini left after all of that.
Frosted with the same homemade cream cheese frosting recipe I used on my Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe, this light zucchini cake is the perfect summer treat.
You can add raisins, walnuts, and/or shredded coconut if you wish; but it’s also quite delicious without any optional ingredients.
This zucchini cake recipe is one of my go-to recipes for any summer party, since everyone seems to go crazy for zucchini in the summertime. You can easily leave it out a few hours without refrigeration, making the recipe an ideal choice whenever you’re asked to bring dessert. For easier transportation, I like to quickly frost and slice the cake after arriving at my destination.
Feel free to eat this cake plain or use your favorite frosting recipe, or even top it with coconut butter.
(Here’s How To Make Coconut Butter)
I used the basic frosting recipe below. For vegan frosting, just use vegan brands of cream cheese and butter ,available in many regular grocery stores.
Zucchini Cake Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
4 oz salted butter
2 cups powdered sugar (or sugar free powdered sugar)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
optional sprinkle of cinnamon or a few drops maple extract
Let cream cheese and butter come to room temperature. Beat all ingredients with either an electric mixer or stand mixer (or by hand, which won’t be as whipped and fluffy but still works). If too thick, very slowly add a little milk of choice; if too thin, add additional powdered sugar. Spread on the cupcakes with either a knife or piped through an icing bag (I used a 1M icing tip). Cover and refrigerate leftover frosting for up to a week. The recipe makes about 2 cups of frosting.
Zucchini Cake
Adapted from Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely grated zucchini, loosely packed (200g)
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/3 cup oil (Replace with more applesauce only if you don’t mind a fat-free texture)
- 1 1/2 tsp white or cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups spelt, white, oat, or gf ap flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup sugar of choice or xylitol
- optional 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips or raisins
- optional handful crushed walnuts and/or shredded coconut
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 F and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients and let sit at least 10 minutes (or you can refrigerate overnight). In a separate bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients. Pour wet into dry, and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix. Pour into the 8-inch pan and smooth down evenly. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake tastes sweeter and has a better texture the day after it is made, and leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or sliced and frozen. I frosted the cake with 1/2 cup of the frosting recipe included earlier in this post.
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I made the cake and frosting yesterday afternoon. It made my whole house smell amazing. The taste of this cake and frosting were out of this world. I don’t say this lightly: Katie, you are a genius. Thank you so very much for making these recipes available. I purchased your book and love that too. I had never baked with Xylitol until I came across your blog and I am still amazed how much it tastes like sugar. I hate the aftertaste of anything with Stevia so this is a hit for me. Best to you!
I have never tried zucchini dessert before, it looks interesting. I love zucchini and I have a sweet tooth, so I’m sure this will be a great combination. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe along with the nutrition facts.
This cake is SO good! Definitely printed for the recipe bunder in the pantry! I used gf Namaste flour and did not opt for frosting; simply forgot. Thank you Katie! Absolutely amazing.
We brought this to a party yesterday and everyone liked it. Moist and yummy were some of the comments. A great use of a summer vegetable.
I made this yesterday with some grated zucchini I had in the freezer. Simply amazing!! I used coconut oil and added in a 1/2 cup of unsweetened grated coconut. I used silicone muffins liners that I baked at 375 for about 22-25 min. I got 15 medium size muffins. I didn’t frost but instead smeared some coconut butter on top before eating. These freeze really well. I will be making these again. Thanks for the amazing recipe! ?
Can I make these as cupcakes vs. a sheet cake for my daughter’s 1st birthday?
I’ve not tried, but you can experiment! Or use this recipe, which can be frosted for cupcakes: https://lett-trim.today/2013/04/25/chocolate-chip-zucchini-bread-muffins/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I don’t see why not, but you’ll have to experiment with baking time. Be sure to report back if you try!
I love you Katie! I have made a few of your recipes and this one is oh sooooo good. I just baked one yesterday and it’s gone so I’m ready to make another one! We love it with homemade whip cream.
Hi! 🙂
I love your blog and your recipes!
I tried to make this recipe with a few changes, and the result was really good; just in case you want to try a new variation:
I subbed yogurt for the applesauce (same amount, 120g) and I used all the oil (70g). I used spelt flour and I didn’t add any sugar (I just added stevia).
It turned out amazing!! Really, really yummy!
Thank you for all your work!
I made this and although I liked it, others did not. It turned out more bread like consistency, rather than cake texture. My 5 year old son said “bad news, the cake was too doughy. But good news is the frosting was delicious”. As it was in the refrigerator, it seemed to get more doughy texture, possibly from condensation in the container. The frosting was great! I Also made the black bean brownies, the didn’t look as moist as your picture does, but I thought they were good. I like that the desserts aren’t as sweet as traditional recipes! But for some it may take some getting used to, like my husband, but so much better for you! Thank you for all the recipes!
I would reccomend using white vinegar and not apple cider. I personaly did not like the taste it gave.