Bake yourself happy with this Spiced Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Similar to carrot cake, but baked with zucchini, it’s delicious cold from the fridge on a summer afternoon.
Serve this zucchini cake by itself or alongside Strawberry Cookies and Iced Coffee for a fun, summery snack or dessert.
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When it rains zucchini, it pours. At least in my neck of the woods. And when it does, I have two lines of defense: Ratatouille or Zucchini Fritters as well as baked goods like Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins and Chocolate Zucchini Cake.
My new favorite is this Spiced Zucchini Cake. Rich in spices and a luscious frosting, it packs some great flavors, a combo of spicy and creamy and totally delicious!
Why Make This
It’s a great way to use zucchini. This is the best Zucchini Cake, especially with the creamy frosting.
It’s freezer friendly. I love baking this cake and freezing slices for later. Such a fun treat on a hot summer afternoon.
It’s delicious. This cake is so easy and simple to make, yet so packed with flavor.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Spiced Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting:
eggs – You’ll need four eggs. You can use a flaxseed meal egg substitute, but the texture will be dramatically different.
granulated sugar – You can use regular plain white sugar, but if you like more flavor, use light brown sugar.
oil – Use a neutral oil, like avocado or canola.
zucchini – You’ll need 2 cups shredded zucchini, about 1 medium zucchini.
flour – I use unbleached, all-purpose but you can use regular flour as well as whole wheat pastry flour.
leavening – You’ll need both baking soda and salt for this zucchini cake recipe.
spices – I like to use ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. You can also use pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice.
cream cheese – For the richest frosting, use full fat cream cheese. You can also use neufchâtel cheese. Either way you’ll need 8 ounces cream cheese, which is a full brick. It will need to be softened to room temperature before prepping the frosting.
butter – You can use softened butter or margarine if you prefer.
powdered sugar – You’ll need 2 cups powdered sugar. If you run out, remember you can make your own powdered sugar.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make Spiced Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and oil. Stir in the grated zucchini.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves into the bowl of wet ingredients. Stir gently until combined.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a tester comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely on a rack.
- To prepare the frosting, place the cheese and the butter in a large mixing bowl. Whip until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and continue whipping until smooth.
- Frost the cooled cake and store the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Variations
If you’d like to vary the topping on the cake, you can sprinkle 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans across the frosting.
Alternatively, you can make cinnamon cream cheese frosting by adding ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the powdered sugar prior to prepping the frosting.
Make vanilla frosting, add 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract to the frosting.
FAQs
No, you do not need to peel zucchini. Just shred it for cake like you would shred cheese on a box grater
You can freeze cake before or after frosting. Cool the cake completely and wrap with plastic wrap. Then double wrap in foil prior to storing in the freezer. If freezing a frosted cake, freeze it unwrapped until the frosting is firm. Then wrap and store in the freezer.
Zucchini cake does not need to be refrigerated unless it’s a very moist cake. If the cake is frosted with cream cheese frosting, you should store it in the fridge.
More Great Zucchini Recipes
Spiced Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Bake yourself happy with this spiced zucchini cake topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
Servings: 12
Calories: 360kcal
Cost: $3
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Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and oil. Stir in the zucchini.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves into the bowl of the wet ingredients. Stir gently until combined.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a tester comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool on a rack.
To prepare the frosting, place the cheese and the butter in a large mixing bowl. Whip until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and continue whipping until smooth.
Frost the cooled cake and store the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- If you’d like to vary the topping on the cake, you can sprinkle 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans across the frosting.
- Alternatively, you can make cinnamon cream cheese frosting by adding ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the powdered sugar prior to prepping the frosting.
- Make vanilla frosting, add 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract to the frosting.
Nutrition
Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 465mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 318IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg
This post was originally published on September 11, 2014. It has been updated for content and clarity.
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