Zucchini Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Homemade zucchini cake is a comforting, cozy dessert we have on repeat in this house. If you love this easy dessert with hidden veggies, be sure to give my Chocolate Zucchini Cake and Lemon Zucchini Bread a try.

Moist and Fluffy Zucchini Cake

Zucchini cake is one of my favorite ways to use fresh zucchini when it’s in season! It’s perfectly moist and fluffy, filled with warm spices, and topped with a delectable cream cheese frosting. It’s definitely an easy cake recipe that you want in your recipe book. As a kid, I was always extra suspicious of vegetables in dessert recipes. Carrot Cake, Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Muffins, you name it. I was convinced my parents were trying to push a healthy agenda on me (the nerve!). So, out of principle, I didn’t like zucchini spice cake. Luckily, with age comes wisdom, and I eventually came to my senses. Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is just the best!

How to Make Frosted Zucchini Cake

This zucchini cake recipe is amazingly soft and moist, spiced with cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and a hint of ginger. Plus, there’s loads of caramelized brown sugar flavor throughout the crumb. I cannot wait for you to try it! PREP. While the oven preheats to 350ºF, grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with butter and dust it with flour. BATTER. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together the wet ingredients. Stir the sour cream and zucchini into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Next, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet until combined. BAKE. Transfer the cake batter to your prepared baking pan, then bake for 40-45 minutes. CREAM CHEESE FROSTING. After the cake is baked and cooled, it’s ready to be topped with cream cheese frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese, adding in the powdered sugar one cup at a time until smooth. Finally, beat in the vanilla. FROST. Using a flat-edged knife or offset spatula, spread the frosting over the zucchini cake.

Ingredient Tips

I like to think of zucchini cake as the just-as-delicious cousin to Carrot Cake. Both turn humble garden vegetables into a scrumptious, mouthwatering dessert! Zucchini. The zucchini can be peeled if you’d prefer not to see any green. Use the small side of a box grater for easy shredding. Most zucchini cake recipes account for, and even rely on, the extra moisture that zucchini provides (this recipe included). Don’t squeeze the water out! How to remove zucchini seeds. If you can’t get your hands on seedless zucchini, you’ll want to remove the seeds. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Use a spoon and drag it along the center of the zucchini to scrape out the seeds. Use room temperature ingredients. Ensure ingredients like the sour cream for the cake and the butter and cream cheese in the frosting are soft before getting started. Additions. Fold chopped walnuts, raisins, or chocolate chips into the zucchini cake batter.

Recipe Tips

Different baking pans. Make different size cakes.

Cupcakes. Bake them at 350ºF for 18-22 minutes. Two 9” round pans or a sheet cake. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Bundt cake. Bake for 50-55 minutes.

Since all ovens heat a little differently, I recommend checking for doneness 5 minutes before the given baking time (see the next tip!). Check for doneness. The easiest way to check if the cake is done is to use a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If not, return your zucchini cake to the oven to bake a bit longer. Let the cake cool. Allow enough time so this best recipe for zucchini cake can cool completely before frosting. Otherwise, the frosting will melt. Dry zucchini cake. This could be because your dry ingredients are out of balance, or there isn’t enough moisture in the zucchini. Ensure zucchini has a high enough water content and that you’re accurately measuring your ingredients!

Storing info

STORE. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. FREEZE the unfrosted zucchini cake by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and storing it in the freezer. Thaw the cake in the fridge overnight and then frost when ready.