This delicious yet simple Zucchini Cake is made moist with fresh garden zucchini and walnuts. The warm spices of cinnamon and nutmeg, along with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting, take the flavor over the top. I love taking this cake to potlucks and family functions, as it is always a huge hit.
This time of the year, so many garden growers have oodles of zucchini. We are zucchini-eating fools here. This delicious cake is one of our favorite zucchini recipes. If you like this recipe, try zucchini muffins, zucchini bread, and chocolate zucchini cake.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Cake
- It is so delicious! Your family and friends will love it. Be ready to share the recipe.
- You can use up all your summer garden zucchini, making your friends and family fat and sassy.
- This tasty cake stays moist for days. There is no dry day-old cake here.
Key Ingredients
- Zucchini: fresh zucchini is the star of the show here.
- Warm spices: like cinnamon and nutmeg
- Walnuts: you can substitute walnuts or pecans
- Vanilla extract: the pure stuff, please
- Cream cheese: full-fat
How to make Zucchini Cake
This cake is made in three easy steps. First, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate large bowl, stir together the grated zucchini, eggs, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in several increments, mixing just until combined. Then, fold in the chopped walnuts.
Pour the mixture into a 9×13 baking pan that has been greased and floured or sprayed with nonstick baking spray. Bake just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand-held electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, cinnamon, and vanilla until light, fluffy and smooth. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and beaters as needed. Spread on the fully-cooled cake. Refrigerate the cake because of the cream cheese frosting.
Preparation Tips
- This cake is better on the second day, so ideally, bake it a day in advance and ice it the day you serve it.
- Grate the unpeeled zucchini with the small grate end of a box grater. It takes just minutes. It will take much longer to wash and dry your food processor.
- Check for doneness after 35 minutes and every 3 minutes after that. Insert a toothpick in the center to ensure no wet batter clings to it. This cake is best not over-baked.
Can I Use Grated Zucchini In This Cake?
Many of you are gardening this time of year, and you may have quite an abundance of zucchini. Did you know that grated zucchini freezes quite well and can be used for future cakes, muffins, bread, and even fritters?
Grate the zucchini with a food processor or old-fashioned box grater (this is where that food processor may come in handy), then allocate a certain amount to each quart freezer bag depending on how much you need for your favorite recipes (hint, hint, hint). I like to do some bags with 3 cups and some with 2 cups, as this covers most of my favorite recipes. Label and date the freezer bags.
Double wrap by adding several quart bags to gallon bags. Store in the freezer for up to six months for all your favorite zucchini baking recipes. To thaw, place it in the refrigerator overnight.
How Do I Store This Cake?
Because of the cream cheese frosting, this cake should be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Or cover the baking dish with two layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and store it covered in the fridge.
More Cakes Recipes
Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
Zucchini Cake
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. In a separate large bowl, stir together the grated zucchini, eggs, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture in several intervals mixing just until combined. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Do not over-bake; start checking at 35 minutes and every 3 minutes thereafter. Cool completely.
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, cream cheese, cinnamon, and vanilla until light, fluffy and smooth. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and beaters as needed. Spread on the fully-cooled cake.
- This cake should be refrigerated because of the cream cheese frosting.
Notes
- Check for doneness after 35 minutes and every 3 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. This can take up to several hours, so plan accordingly.
- Store the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Christian Foremost
Haven’t baked in a while, but this just looks so good not to try!! I bet it’s tastes absolutely delicious!
Jennifer Prince
Oooh. So almost like carrot cake? What a great way to use leftover zucchini. I need to try this recipe!
Autumn Murray
This looks absolutely delicious! I haven’t had zucchini cake since I was a child. Just pinned this to make with my daughter. #yum
Clarice
Wow! This looks delicious and healthy. I haven’t really tried a zucchini cake so this is very interesting. Thank you for sharing the recipe and I can’t wait to try it.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Clarice! I hope you enjoy it!
Melanie E
I made this ages ago and it was lovely. I do love your version, it sounds better than the one I found to try last time.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Melanie! So happy that you liked the cake. We love it too!
Rose Ann Sales
Wow! This was absolutely delicious! My kids and husband loved it so much that they want me to make it again!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Rose Ann! So glad that they liked it!
Elise Ho
I totally appreciate the freezer tips. I do not like to keep too much on hand in the baked gods department.
Beth Pierce
I feel the same way or I might over indulge.
Stephanie
This looks like a very similar recipe to the carrot cake I make, but with zucchini instead. We love carrot cake, but I’m going to try with zucchini next time to try something different.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Stephanie! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Caty
This cake was absolutely delicious, so moist and flavorful! Everyone loved it and some asked for the recipe. I did use another cream cheese recipe, very similar to yours, though using less butter, but I added cinnamon to it, following your example. Thank you!
Beth Pierce
So glad that everyone liked it! It is so yummy!
Caty
For the frosting, 1.5 tablespoons of vanilla is more than I usually see. Is this correct, or is it supposed to be teaspoons? Thank you!
Beth Pierce
It is supposed to be teaspoons. Thanks for the heads up. I will correct that.
Julia Spencer
This cake is Awesome!
Kim R
Made this cake for a Labor Day picnic. It was delicious! Will make again soon!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Kim! So glad that you liked it!
Mary
I doubled the brown sugar in the frosting! Amazing. Thank you so much for a fabulous recipe!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure! So glad that you liked it!
Tamara
Can you add crushed pineapple to this recipe? I’m not sure if that would make it too liquidity.
Beth Pierce
I have not tried but it sounds delicious. I think I would use one of those little 8 ounce cans of crushed pineapple and cut back to 1 cup oil. Happy baking! Let us know how it turns out.
Chloe
Do you pay the zucchini with a paper towel to dry it or do you include that water already in the zucchini?
Beth Pierce
No I do not dry it.
Dannii
This cake looks so moist and delicious. I can’t wait to try it.