Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This amazing Zucchini Cake has a luscious cream cheese frosting for a sweet and decadent dessert! Using zucchini in the cake batter keeps it moist and super tender, so you get the perfect bite in every forkful.
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For a perfect-every-time dessert, this zucchini cake is a must-try recipe! A perfect balance of soft and decadent cake with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.
Why This Recipe Works
Are you tired of homemade cakes that turn out dry or overly chewy? This dessert includes shredded zucchini for a moist cake base that will always turn out perfect.
Like many zucchini recipes, this takes fresh produce and turns it into a dessert that has added nutrition! Great to make during zucchini season, but perfect any time of year.
And if you can't get enough of the cream cheese frosting, my Cinnamon Roll Cake or my Sweet Potato Cake will also be hits!
Ingredients Needed
- All-Purpose Flour: I haven't tested with any other flour.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Using both ensures that the cake is nice and fluffy and tender.
- Salt: Balances out and accentuates some of the sweet flavors.
- Cinnamon: Adds warm, slightly spicy sweetness. It enhances richness.
- Nutmeg: Brings a deeper, earthy warmth.
- Eggs: Room temperature is always recommended.
- Vegetable Oil: Makes the cake super moist.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cake and also helps with structure by trapping air when creamed with butter or eggs, giving the cake lift and tenderness.
- Brown Sugar: Using both kinds of sugar gives this cake a more complex and rich sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances overall flavor.
- Fresh Zucchini: Adding zucchini to baked goods makes them moist.
- Walnuts: Pecans can also be used.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: All you need to make your own frosting is cream cheese, unsalted butter, and powdered sugar!
How to Make this Zucchini Cake Recipe
- Step 1: In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg).
- Step 2: In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients (eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and sugars).
- Step 3: Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Step 4: Add the shredded zucchini and fold into the batter.
- Step 5: Pour cake batter into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 28 to 30 minutes.
- Step 6: While the cake bakes, take a medium bowl and beat together the cream cheese and butter.
- Step 7: Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time and beat until the icing forms.
- Step 8: Once the cake is fully baked and mostly cooled, spread the icing over top and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
- To make the frosting easier to beat together, let the cream cheese and butter come up to room temperature first.
- For other topping ideas, use semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or another kind of nuts like almonds or pecans.
- If you have leftover cake, cover tightly with some plastic wrap or store smaller portions in an airtight container.
- You can also bake this in round cake pans to make a layer cake.
- Shred the zucchini using a box grater for evenly sized pieces.
Recipe FAQ's
There's no need to remove the seeds from your zucchini, you won't notice them once all the shredded produce is baked into the cake!
You don't have to remove the peel, but if you find you don't like the small amount of texture it adds you may want to peel it. Some grocery stores also coat produce like zucchini in a fine layer of wax to preserve it, so peeling the zucchini is a good way to remove that.
Absolutely! Freeze it without the frosting. Then just thaw the cake and add frosting right before serving.
More Easy Cake Recipes
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Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups shredded zucchini about 2 medium zuccchinis
- 1 cup walnuts finely chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking pan with non stick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk until combined.
- In a large bowl add the eggs, vegetable oil,sugars and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and using a spoon mix until combined. The batter will be on the dryer side.
- Fold in the shredded zucchini and mix until incorporated. The water from the zucchini will add the moisture the batter needs.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- In a medium bowl add the room temperature butter and cream cheese and using a hand mixer beat until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until combined making sure to scrape down the sides with a spatula.
- Let the cake cool completely then spread the cream cheese frosting over the top and sprinkle the walnuts on.
- Serve! Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
