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Soft zucchini cake frosted with a rich, tangy cream cheese frosting is the best way to eat zucchini this summer!
If you have a garden, the odds are good that you’ve had too much zucchini on hand at one time or another. Overzealous gardening friends and neighbors have been known to leave bags of this prolific vegetable on our doorstep in the past as well.
There’s a joke each year that you should leave your car unlocked or you might find a dozen zucchini on the passenger seat. No place is safe at the height of zucchini season.
That said, zucchini is a versatile vegetable that can up the nutritional status of lots of tasty sweet recipes from quick breads to cakes.
This zucchini cake recipe with its creamy sweet frosting has converted my zucchini haters into fans at long last.
To be precise, the formerly anti-zucchini members of my household are zucchini fans now only when it is baked into this cake, Classic Easy Zucchini Bread, or Peanut Butter Swirled Chocolate Zucchini Bread.
Zucchini Cake Recipe
For most zucchini-based cakes, muffins, and quick bread recipes, you’ll need to shred zucchini. This can be done by hand with a cheese grater or you can use a food processor with the grating blade attached.
Grated zucchini can be frozen in batches, but make sure you drain the thawed zucchini well when you use it. Otherwise, it will add too much liquid to the recipe.
This recipe makes an 8×8 cake, but I usually double it to fit a 9×13 pan. Believe it or not, the cake disappears surprisingly fast. The cream cheese frosting complements the cake so well, I often find myself going back for just one more sliver whenever I make this.
Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the zucchini, sugar, oil and eggs. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl.
- Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Spread the batter into the greased baking pan. Bake at 350 F. for 28-32 minutes. Cool completely.
- Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar. Spread onto cool cake.
End of Summer Baking Recipes
Baking cakes, muffins, and quick breads can be a fun way to use up all the fresh, in-season produce during the summer. I often double the recipes in order to freeze extra to enjoy later.
Classic Easy Zucchini Bread is a long-time favorite and this Peanut Butter Swirled Chocolate Zucchini Bread is a sure bet for convincing any skeptics that zucchini is delicious.
Garden Chive Rolls make the most of an abundance of fresh herbs. Harvest Squash Bread makes an amazing and hearty sandwich, it’s also great toasted with butter.
Lemon Berry Muffins are popular all year round, since you can make them with fresh or frozen berries. Rhubarb Streusel Muffins are another great option for the freezer.
Pineapple Zucchini Bread and Lemon Zucchini Bread are a couple more on my list to try.
Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1 cup zucchini shredded
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Frosting Ingredients
- 3 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Cake Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the zucchini, sugar, oil and eggs. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl.
- Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Spread the batter into the greased baking pan. Bake at 350 F. for 28-32 minutes. Cool completely.
Frosting Directions
- Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar. Spread onto cool cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 8/1/16 – recipe notes and photos updated 7/15/21}
So good! Did the 8×8 size and it worked out perfectly!
YAY! Glad it was a hit.
Best zucchini bread ever!
I’m so glad you like it!
Mine did not turn out fluffy at all. Made in 8×8 pan and the cake is barely an inch tall. Not sure what I did wrong.
My baking soda and baking powder are not expired. I don’t feel that I over mixed the batter.
Any suggestions?
I have not tried it yet as it’s still cooling. The cream cheese frosting is delicious and is waiting to be placed on top of the cake. Not sure I should waste the frosting on such a flat cake!
This is a fairly moist and not super tall cake, but it should’ve risen a bit more than that. Without being in your kitchen with you, it’s hard to guess what might have gone wrong. I’m curious how it was when you sliced it, Serina. Hopefully it was still delicious!
Has anyone tried to make this in two 9” rounds? If so, did you double recipe amd how long to bake? Ty!
Hi, Marcella. If you convert this recipe to round pans, one 8×8 pan will fill one 9 inch round pan, so you’ll want to double the recipe. As for baking times, I couldn’t say; while I’d imagine the times will still be close, I would recommend keeping an eye on the pans.
This recipe is excellent – Little effort and big rewards. I did add pistachios to the cake and orange zest to the delicious cream cheese frosting. I like the 8 inch size..
I never would’ve thought of the pistachios, Anne. I do like the orange and zucchini combination though, I’ve done something like that in the past too. I’m glad the cake was a hit!
Made mine today, so good??
Glad to hear that you’re loving the cake, Dawn. Happy baking!
I made this today with a zucchini from my garden and gluten free flour (my daughter has celiac) and it turned out delicious, with a soft and fluffy crumb. We all wanted to lick the beaters for every last morsel of frosting, too. Yum!
It sounds like the zucchini cake turned out well, Sarah! I’m so glad you and your daughter loved it. Enjoy, and happy baking!
Sooo good!! Love this recipe. And the 8×8 is perfect for my husband and i. Get a nice dessert without overdoing (overeating) it. ? Everyone loves it!
I’m so glad that everyone’s been loving the zucchini cake, Sheri. Happy baking!
These are the best!
It was a hit with my family, very moist and yummy. Great cream cheese frosting recipe.
Horray! I love when the whole family gives the thumbs up!