Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
A seasonal zucchini layer cake, infused with cinnamon and orange, and iced with a tangy cream cheese frosting. If you’re wondering what to do with all that zucchini from your garden, look no further than this impressive yet effortless dessert recipe.
Hi everyone! I have a lovely layer cake for you today, full of all sorts of goodness!
Particularly, something that many of us with backyard vegetable gardens are struggling to find ways to use up- zucchini!
So far, in the last week, my husband has made zucchini fritters and zucchini oven fries, and for dinner tonight we’re planning a zucchini tart. But the zucchini just. doesn’t. stop! We’ve still got tons on our counter and more growing still!
The good news is, there’s just so much you can do with it. It’s got a really neutral flavor so it works beautifully in both sweet and savory preparations. You’re especially going to love it in this cake because it comes together in a snap and it’s so moist and fragrant with citrus and spice. It’s just perfect for the end of summer when our gardens are still bursting with fresh produce yet we’re looking ahead to the flavors of fall.
Making a big layer cake sometimes seems like a daunting task to me. All the layers, and the frosting, and wanting it to look smooth and perfect like it’s fresh from the case at a fancy bakery. Hello, it’s a freaking weekday people! I for one am embracing the trend of just stacking the layers and letting the sides go bare. Effortless as can be and every bit as delish.
Shredding the zucchini in a food processor is another way to cut down on the prep time- in a major way. My machine made quick work of two small(ish) zucchini- it literally took seconds. I shredded it on the finer side of the grating disc and placed it in a small strainer, over a bowl, and weighted it down to squeeze out some of the water while I prepped the other ingredients.
The orange zest and cinnamon will make your whole house smell just heavenly! And the toasted nuts give a really nice crunch. I hope you’ll give this late summer/early fall easy layer cake a try; it’s sure to be a big hit with your family!
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Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini, (about 1-1 1/2 cups shredded)
- 2/3 cup (83.33 g) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup (83.33 g) cake flour
- 1/2 cup (56 g) almond meal
- 1/3 cup (39 g) roughly chopped walnuts,, toasted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) plain Greek yogurt, (I used nonfat)
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 tablespoons orange zest, (zest of one orange)
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) cream cheese, (1 1/2 blocks)
- 6 tablespoons (88.72 g) unsalted butter,, softened
- 2/3 cup (80 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) orange juice, (juice of one orange)
Instructions
To Make the Zucchini Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Mist (2) 6-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment.
- Trim the tops and bottoms off the zucchini and grate finely. Place in a mesh strainer or colander, over a bowl, and place a heavy pot on top to press some of the water out. Set aside.
- Place the flours, almond meal, walnuts, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Place the sugar, Greek yogurt, oil, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest in another bowl and mix with a whisk until smooth. Add the zucchini, and then combine with the dry ingredients.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool completely and layer with Cream Cheese Frosting.
To Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add the sugar, honey, and orange juice and whip on high speed until fluffy.
This cake looks incredibly good! I’m going to try out the recipe for a birthday cake 🙂
Ooh, yay! I hope you enjoy, Sugar and Cinnamon! Thanks so much for reading, and for the sweet comment 🙂
Whoa, hello gorgeous cake! Love the addition of cinnamon and orange, too!
Gee thanks, Stephanie! I’m so happy you liked~ and thanks for the Google+ share too! xoxo
These looks so gorgeous! I love the simplicity and the orange and cinnamon flavors sound wonderful when paired with the zucchini.
Thank you Mallory! I was feeling simple 😉 And the flavors really worked well. I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much for the sweet comment! xoxo
What a gorgeous little cake! I love it!
Aw thank you so much sweetie! Not much in comparison to some of your amazing creations, but sometimes I just need to keep it easy and simple 😉 Hugs to you, dear!
This is such a gorgeous cake Allie! I love that you left the sides bare and it sounds wonderful with the hint of orange and warm spices. We have been trying to use up our garden zucchini too and this cake would be such a lovely change from the usual zucchini bread. I really like the squash blossoms in the photos, they look so so pretty:)
Thanks Kelly! I was lucky to have a few in the garden to snag 😉 I just love decorating cakes with flowers and the colors worked well to boot! Hope you had a nice weekend, sweetie!
We’ve gotten tomatoes and cucumbers, but I’m still waiting for someone to drop off loads of zucchini so I can bake up some zucchini bread and a zucchini cake! LOVE the simplicity of yours…perfect with those thick layers of cream cheese frosting 🙂
Thanks Liz! We are totally overloaded here, lol! Wish you were closer, I’d drop off a few for ya! Hope you had a nice weekend, dear <3
My mom grows zucchini in her garden and I totally hear ya – there just aren’t enough moments in the day to keep eating them! I need to grab a few and make a couple of cakes – this looks beautiful, Allie! That gorgeous, thick, creamy frosting is making me drool.
Aw, thanks love! I can’t really complain~ there are much worse problems to have, right? It’s kind of a fun challenge to see how many different ways they can be used. I’m so glad you liked this cake! Sometimes simple is just the way to go 😉
Allie, the flavors you used in this cake are blowing me away! I am so jealous of all of the people with zucchini overload, and all of the wonderful recipes it facilitates. Score one for not living in the city (boohoo). I am going to try this recipe as cupcakes for my office before the summer is out! My coworkers would love it!
Ooh, yay! I hope you enjoy! I bet you could come up with an amazing gluten free version! There’s already a little almond flour in there- probably not much of a leap to make it totally allergen-free. Good luck and lmk how it all turns out, k? 😀
Oh Allie, your cakes are always so beautiful! This zucchini cake has that rustic charm that I just love. I am definitely making this when I get back from vacation! Love it!
Oh that’s awesome! I really hope you like it Justine! It was a big hit at my neighbors’ bible study the other night. Have fun on vacay and safe travels! xoxo
I actually just bought a bunch of zucchini’s and I cannot wait to try this zucchini cake. Stunning photography, Allie, as usual! ♥ 🙂
Oh you are too kind! I hope you enjoy the cake Margaret Anne~ it’s a great way to lighten your zucchini overload 😉 Hope you had a fun and relaxing weekend, my dear!
I AM DROOOOOOOLING! This cake is just AMAZINGGGGGGG Allie! I love the bare cake frosting idea too, it makes the cake look so rustic and inviting! <3
I love how you just get it, Samina! That’s just what I was thinking too, a rustic cake should look rustic. You’re awesome! Thanks so much for the great comment. Hope you had a really fun weekend, sweetie! xoxo
Such a beautiful cake, Allie. I could eat this every day!
Thanks Matt! I was half-tempted to sneak a slice for breakfast this morning 😉
Now i’m wondering why the heck I didn’t throw my zucchini in a food processor when I was making zucchini brownies…totally took 5 min to shred by hand than 2 seconds lol. This cake is a beauty. I adore layered cakes…like a lot. Saving this one, always love a new good cake recipe 😉 Thanks, Allie!
Oh this is stunning!! I have a giant zucchini my boss gave me yesterday and was wondering what to do with it. Orange is such a great idea to add to this cake. Love the harvest look too dear!!
Thank you sweetie! Ya we are looking for ways to use it up over here too. Forgot to mention that Mr. Allie also made a zucchini parmesan- yum! Enjoy! xoxo
I love zucchini in sweet and savory! I don’t have a garden, but I buy a lot. 🙂 This layer cake looks delicious, Allie, and I love those pretty squash blossoms!
Thank you Marcie! Sometimes I think I enjoy the blossoms even more than the squash itself, lol! Going to start harvesting the blooms more over the next couple weeks, for stuffing 😉
We are on the same page today with our zucchini love!! This cake looks incredible! And i love the zucchini flowers – so pretty! Question – where did you get that towel? It is so pretty!
Thank you so much Cate! I found the towel at Home Goods and I loved it so much I bought it in three colors, lol! It’s my favorite of all my prop cloths right now and I feel like I have to hold myself back from using it in every shoot ;P Thanks for noticing and thank you for the sweet compliments <3
Cream cheese frosting is my favorite! And I love that you left the sides of the cake “naked”… my frosting challenged self can manage that 🙂 I can’t remember the last time I made a zucchini cake or bread, so I need to remedy that. We are surrounded by woods and the critters always ate hubby’s pumpkins, lettuces, etc. so I’ve gotta depend on the farmer’s market. Pinned!
Oh that’s tough! Well hopefully you’ve got a good farmer’s market nearby- it just wouldn’t be summer without zucchini! Thanks so much for pinning, Jill! xoxo
Gorgeous, as always, Allie! I love the squash blossoms in these photos. And the addition of orange is an unexpected and surely delicious bit. Love it!
Thank you Lina! I really did love how the citrus kept it feeling summery, in spite of all that warm spice. So happy you liked! xoxo
This cake is seriously so lovely!!! So warm and inviting!
Thanks Jocelyn! It’s nothing too fancy but the hubby and kids sure enjoyed it 😉
This sounds delicious! I’m eagerly wanting Autumn to arrive, I love the warming flavours and spices that time of year yields.
Same here Laura! I’m having a hard time letting go of summer, but cinnamon always helps, lol!