5 from 4 votes

Zucchini Cake

Name: Zucchini Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 27 min
Total time: 47 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup granulated sugar; ¾ cup dark brown sugar (firmly packed (you may substitute light brown sugar)); 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda; ½ teaspoon table salt; 1 cup sour cream; 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter (melted); 2 large eggs (lightly beaten (room temperature preferred)); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 ½ cups grated zucchini (patted dry (weigh before patting dry)); 8 oz cream cheese (softened); ½ cup unsalted butter (softened); 2 ½ cups powdered sugar; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; ⅛ teaspoon table salt

By Sam MerrittPublished Jul 22, 2024

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16 Comments

Servings: 12 servings

47 mins

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Richly flavored with brown sugar and vanilla, my zucchini cake recipe makes eating your veggies a delight! We spread a smooth, cream cheese frosting overtop for a sweet finish. Recipe includes a how-to video!

Square slice of zucchini cake topped with cream cheese frosting with one forkful sitting beside the slice.

Why You’ll Love This Zucchini Cake

A great way to use up garden zucchini. If you’re up to your eyeballs in this prolific garden produce, here’s a great way to use some of it.
You don’t taste the zucchini, so you can sneak it in and picky eaters will never know. Instead, the zucchini adds moisture and a lovely texture, but what you’ll taste is the rich flavors of brown sugar and vanilla, accented by the sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.
Easy to make. A no-fuss, quick and easy recipe that can be served right in the pan it’s baked in.
Perfect for summer parties. It serves a crowd and will be devoured by everyone, trust me! I typically alternate between this cake and strawberry shortcake during the summer months.
Minimal decoration. Sheet cakes are a favorite around here for their no-fuss decoration and simple serving. There’s no leveling, crumb coating, or piping required today!

I think you’re gong to adore this zucchini cake! A sister to my banana cake and carrot cake recipe, it’s similarly simple yet delectable with a moist, tender texture and brilliant flavor.

What You Need

Overhead view of labeled ingredients including zucchini, brown sugar, cream cheese, and more.

Zucchini. There’s no need to peel your zucchini before grating it. You will, however, need to blot the zucchini with paper towels after grating it, as it is a bit too wet otherwise. If you are using a scale, make sure you weigh it before blotting it.
Brown sugar. I prefer dark brown sugar in this cake. Dark brown sugar has more molasses than light brown, so it imparts a stronger flavor that accents the cake nicely. You can light brown sugar if that’s all you have on hand though–don’t let that stop you from making this cake!
Sour cream. Similar to buttermilk, sour cream adds fat and richness to our zucchini cake. You’ll notice that this cake is incredibly moist and tender, and you can thank the sour cream for that! You could alternatively use full-fat, plain Greek yogurt.
Vanilla. This flavors our cake and our cream cheese frosting. Feel free to use homemade vanilla extract here–yum!
Cream cheese. As with my cheesecake, I recommend using brick-style, full-fat cream cheese for the frosting. I cannot guarantee good results with the spreadable or low-fat versions–they tend to be too soft and runny.

SAM’S TIP: If you’d like, you can top your zucchini cake with some chopped toasted pecans or walnuts. These add a nice texture, and they pairs well with the brown sugar in the cake.

As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Zucchini Cake

Prep the Zucchini

Two photos showing shredded zucchini being prepped for cake.

Shred the zucchini using the shred blade of your food processor first, then switch to the normal blade. Pulse a few times to chop the zucchini into bits, but don’t go too far, or you’ll end up with a zucchini puree that’s too wet to use.
Blot the zucchini with paper towels until you’ve removed most of the water. When it’s ready, the zucchini will start to stick to the paper towels.

Make the Cake

Four photos showing cake batter being combined with shredded zucchini and spread into a cake pan.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then set aside.
Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually fold these into the dry ingredients until about 50% combined.
Fold in the zucchini until the batter is cohesive. Do not over-mix, which could make the cake rubbery and dense.
Spread the batter into your pan and bake until lightly golden on top. Let the cake cool completely before frosting it (otherwise the frosting will melt).

Frosting

Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth.
Gradually add the powdered sugar until incorporated, then stir in the vanilla and salt.
Spread the frosting over the cooled cake, then slice and enjoy!

SAM’S TIP: This cake should be incredibly moist. If yours isn’t, there’s a very good chance that it was over-baked. Every oven is different (and many run hotter than they indicate), so know your oven and keep an eye on your cake.

Overhead view of square slices of zucchini cake topped with cream cheese frosting on white plates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different frosting?

Of course! Some alternative frostings that would work well here would be my brown butter frosting, lemon frosting, ermine frosting, or vanilla frosting. If you want to go the chocolate route, then I’d recommend making my chocolate zucchini cake instead.

Does zucchini cake need to be refrigerated?

Yes, it does. Because of the moisture in the cake and the cream cheese in the frosting, you will need to store this cake in the fridge. As usual, make sure to use an airtight container (or cover it tightly with plastic wrap) so it doesn’t dry out!

Can I bake this recipe in a loaf pan?

I would recommend you make my zucchini bread instead, as that recipe is designed to be baked in a loaf pan. You can always leave out the cinnamon if you want to flavor your bread like this recipe.

If you want to top your zucchini bread with cream cheese frosting, I’d make a quarter batch of the frosting below (for ease, you can half the recipe but you likely won’t need all of it).