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.
Merideth Myers
Can I count this as my vegetable for the day?? 😅 It’s so moist and delicious, and a brilliant move to add cinnamon to cream cheese frosting!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Meredith and yes you can count this as your vegetable for the day! LOL!
Kathy L
Beth, your zucchini cake recipe was absolutely scrumptious! I loved the warm spices in the cake and the ground cinnamon in the frosting. It was perfect for a family gathering. Thanks for sharing!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Kathy!
Nayna Kanabar
I think I am in love! This zucchini cake is my new favorite. I wonder how it would taste with a chocolate frosting even though I really love the cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Beth Pierce
I think it would be delicious!
Allison C
I had no idea that you could freeze grated zucchinii!!! Game changer. Thank you for the yummy recipe. It looks so delicious!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Allison! Enjoy!
Katie
I made this as directed with the exceptions of just 1 cup of oil and 12/cup chopped pecans and its heavenly. Baked on Sunday and refrigerated it overnight. Made icing and iced on Monday and refrigerated overnight. Took it to work for our new “back to the office anchor day” and everyone who tried it loved it. I cant wait to have an excuse to make another one. Like seriously…its amazing
Beth Pierce
Thank you so much, Katie! I am so glad that everyone liked the zucchini cake. It is one of our favorites, too!
Meri Schroeder
The icing is the thing here – absolutely delicious! I made a gluten free version with 2 Cups AP GF flour (Namaste) and 1/2 cup of almond flour; turned out great and you can’t tell it’s GF. I baked for 38-40 minutes.
Beth Pierce
That’s awesome! Thanks for the tips. My readers will appreciated it.
Anne
I have made this so many times and it always comes out perfectl. I reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup and add in 1 cup chopped dates and 1/2 cup chopped raisins, 1 T molasses and 1/4 tsp. cloves. I also use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. There’s never even a crumb ledtover.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tips, Ann! Glad that you like the cake!
Holly Dandurand
Would this recipe work without the walnuts?
Beth Pierce
Yes it sure would. Enjoy!
Julie
Very good! I loved it as much as carrot cake.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Julie! We love it too!
Riley
I am giving this recipe 5 stars because it is delicious but my cake didn’t raise. I had frozen 2 cups of zucchini but when they defrosted, there was a lot of liquid that I drained. The 2 cups barely made 1 cup after the liquid was poured off so I used 2 bags instead. Even though it ended up the equivalent of 2 cups of zucchini, I’m thinking it didn’t raise because it really was too much. Any thoughts?
Beth Pierce
Possibly that might be the answer. Is it possible that your baking soda or baking powder are no longer active?
Donna Sharp
I am making this today since my neighbor gave me some zucchini that I need to use up. I usually like to make a new recipe as written the first time, BUT I am going to make one small addition and add some all spice because we LOVE spice cake and I will be switching 3/4 cup of the oil with unsweetened applesauce. I don’t recall ever having zucchini cake before, but I have made bread with it and I am really looking forward to trying this cake. My husband isn’t a fan of zucchini as a side vegetable with meals, but he loves it in sweets. I am going to toast the walnuts first and grind them finely for even distribution and because my husband doesn’t have any teeth and he can chew them if they are finely chopped. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Beth!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Donna! Enjoy the cake! We love spice cake too!
Anya
I made this cake for my birthday is I had a ton of zucchini on hand. It came out great; kids enjoyed it too.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Anya! Happy belated birthday!
Felicia Nevadisa Nelson
Everyone old and young absolutely loved this cake! I will be making it again and possibly adding chocolate chips
Beth Pierce
Oh my goodness chocolate chips sound amazing in that cake. I must try that sometime.
Julia
I usually add mix-ins to all my cakes just to give them a little extra bite. This one is great with cocoa powder added (1/2 cup) along with the chocolate chips, I also add raisins or dried cranberries (sometimes both), or even chopped dried cherries, pecans, dates, apples or bananas (add a little extra flour if you add bananas). You can also substitute applesauce for oil in the cake. Just some ideas I use.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tips, Julia! My readers love great suggestions like these.
Charlotte Adams
This recipe is so amazing! The buttercream is irresistible and so delicious! I’ll totally use this again!
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much, Charlotte! I am happy that you liked it!
Janet Persen
Love this recipe! Can the frosting be made without the butter?
Janet
Beth Pierce
No, it really needs the butter, so it is smooth and creamy like a frosting.
Diane
Delish. Made this for a party and everyone raved about it. Got a couple requests for the recipe, too. Will make again. Thanks!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Diane! I am so happy that everyone enjoyed it!
Willa
Very tasty! Made it without frosting and super moist and flavourful
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Willa! So glad that you liked it!
Jana
Easy and delicious!
Ann3
I’ve made this 1/2 dozen times and it is perfect every time. I add 1/2 top of ground cloves, 1 cup of chopped dates, 1/2 cup of chopped raisins and 2 T of molasses. Cut sugar down by 1/4 cup. We are at high altitude and I use Hungarian high altitude flour.