Unbelievably Moist Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

The first time my neighbor handed me a giant zucchini from her garden, I’ll admit I wasn’t exactly thrilled. “Make bread!” she insisted. But you know me—I had to turn it into dessert. That afternoon, my kitchen smelled like cinnamon and vanilla as I grated mountains of zucchini into what would become the most shockingly delicious cake I’d ever made.

This zucchini cake isn’t just good “for a vegetable dessert”—it’s legitimately phenomenal. The shreds practically disappear while baking, leaving behind incredible moisture that makes every forkful tender. And that tangy cream cheese frosting? Absolute perfection against the warm spices. My kids still don’t believe there’s zucchini in there—it’s our little kitchen secret.

Every summer when zucchini season hits, you’ll find me elbow-deep in green squash, grating away for batch after batch. Friends joke that I’m running a covert zucchini cake operation, and honestly? I don’t deny it. This recipe turns what could be another boring veggie into a cake so good, you’ll be begging your gardening friends for their extras.

Why You’ll Love This Zucchini Cake

Let me count the ways this zucchini cake will win you over—because trust me, once you try it, you’ll be hooked just like I am!

• Magically moist texture: The shredded zucchini works like a secret ingredient, keeping every bite tender and rich without any veggie taste.
• Easiest garden dessert: Just grate, mix, and bake—no fancy techniques required. Perfect for when zucchini plants go wild!
• Fall flavor bomb: That cozy cinnamon-nutmeg combo makes it taste like autumn in cake form.
• Freezer superstar: Wrap slices tight and freeze for up to 3 months—because joy should never be seasonal.
• Crowd-pleaser guarantee: Even veggie skeptics go back for seconds (especially with that dreamy cream cheese frosting).

Seriously, this cake solves two problems at once: using up summer zucchini and having an excuse to eat dessert. Win-win!

Ingredients for Zucchini Cake

Here’s everything you’ll need to create zucchini cake magic—exactly as I make it (splatters on my recipe card included!). I’ve noted my tried-and-true ingredient quirks too:

• 2 packed cups shredded zucchini (don’t squeeze it dry—those juices are liquid gold for moisture!)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I’ve tried whole wheat but honestly? Stick with white for that perfect crumb)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (check your date—old soda = flat cake)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (the Ceylon kind if you’re fancy)
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated if possible—I keep a whole nutmeg in my spice drawer just for this)
• ½ cup vegetable oil (applesauce works in a pinch but oil gives better texture)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar (dark brown adds extra molasses depth)
• 2 large eggs (room temp eggs mix better—I set mine out with the butter)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (the real stuff, please!)

Little pro tip: If your zucchini looks sad, add ¼ cup crushed pineapple to the batter. Works wonders!

How to Make Zucchini Cake

Okay, let’s bake this gorgeous cake together! I’ll walk you through each step exactly how I do it—with a few “learned the hard way” tips sprinkled in. The process is simple, but these little tricks make all the difference between good zucchini cake and knock-your-socks-off zucchini cake.

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grab that 9×13-inch pan. Grease it well—I use the butter wrapper from softening my cream cheese frosting ingredients!
2. Whisk all dry ingredients in one bowl—flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Get them nice and cozy together.
3. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients—oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until just combined, about 1 minute. No need to overdo it!
4. Fold in shredded zucchini gently with a spatula. Those green strands will disappear while baking, promise!
5. Add dry to wet ingredients in three batches, mixing until just incorporated. A few flour streaks are fine—they’ll vanish with the last fold.
6. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 30-35 minutes until the edges pull away and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter).
7. Cool completely before frosting—or suffer the consequences of melty cream cheese sliding everywhere (voice of experience here).

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Preparing the Zucchini

Here’s where I get weirdly particular: use the medium holes on your box grater—large ones leave awkward chunks, small ones turn to mush. No grater? Pulse zucchini briefly in a food processor (but watch it doesn’t liquefy). Some squeeze out excess water; I leave it all in for maximum moisture magic!

Mixing the Batter

This is crucial: mix dry and wet ingredients separately first. Two bowls mean fewer lumps! When combining them, go slow—overmixing activates gluten, making cakes tough. I count to 10 stirring strokes max per addition. The batter should look shaggy, not smooth. Trust me, it’ll bake up perfectly imperfect!

Cream Cheese Frosting for Zucchini Cake

Oh, this frosting—I could eat it by the spoonful (and sometimes do when no one’s watching!). It’s the perfect creamy contrast to our spiced zucchini cake, and honestly? If you skip it, we can’t be friends. Just kidding… mostly. Here’s how I make it:

• 8 oz cream cheese (full fat, please—this is dessert!)
• ½ cup butter (softened but still cool—none of that melty business)
• 2 cups powdered sugar (sift it if you’re fancy)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter until dreamy smooth—about 2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar so you don’t end up in a white dust cloud (lesson learned!). Finish with vanilla. Now here’s my trick: pop the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes before spreading—it firms up perfectly for swoopy swirls.

Want to get fancy? Dust the top with cinnamon or grate some lemon zest over frostings. Photos of yours always inspire me on Pinterest!

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Tips for the Best Zucchini Cake

After burning more zucchini cakes than I’d care to admit (who knew ovens could lie?), I’ve collected these golden rules that’ll guarantee your cake turns out perfect every single time. Listen close—these tips come straight from my flour-dusted notebook!

Room temp eggs are non-negotiable. Cold eggs make batter clumpy, and nobody wants dense zucchini cake. I leave mine on the counter next to the cream cheese—they become besties while softening.

Sift those dry ingredients. Yeah, it’s an extra step, but lumpy flour = uneven baking. My grandma’s old mesh strainer works better than any fancy sifter.

Oven thermometers save marriages. Okay, maybe not, but they definitely save cakes! My oven runs 25°F hot—now I adjust before baking. Check yours—it’s life-changing.

Set a timer 5 minutes early. Zucchini cakes go from “perfectly moist” to “sad dry brick” fast. Start checking at 25 minutes—toothpick should have a few clinging crumbs, not wet batter.

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Serving and Storing Zucchini Cake

Okay, confession time—I’ve never actually managed to store this zucchini cake properly because we always eat it too fast! But on the rare occasions when leftovers exist, here’s how I handle them:

For serving, it’s heavenly slightly warm (that melt-in-your-mouth cream cheese frosting situation!), but I also adore it chilled from the fridge—the spices seem richer when cold. Pro tip: microwave slices for 10 seconds to revive that just-baked magic!

To store, keep it covered tightly—those veggie juices make it dry out faster than regular cake. The fridge works for 3 days (if it lasts that long!). For freezing, I cut cooled cake into single servings, wrap each in plastic wrap, then foil. Frozen slices thaw beautifully overnight on the counter—just like my grandma used to stash them in her freezer for surprise visits!

(Pssst… Find more storage tricks like this on my Pinterest—there’s a whole board dedicated to cake-saving hacks!)

Nutritional Information

While we all know zucchini cake isn’t health food (despite that sneaky vegetable!), here’s a rough breakdown per slice. Remember, values change based on your exact ingredients – my neighbor’s farm-fresh zucchini probably packs more nutrients than grocery-store squash!

A generous slice of this zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting contains about 280 calories. Not bad for a dessert hiding two whole cups of shredded zucchini! You’re getting small amounts of fiber, protein, and vitamins A and C from all that green goodness hidden inside.

The sugars come primarily from natural sources – the zucchini itself plus the brown sugar that makes the cake so moist and flavorful. That said, if you’re watching sugar intake, you could reduce the granulated sugar slightly since the zucchini adds natural sweetness.

Want exact numbers? I recommend plugging your specific brands into a nutrition calculator – especially since zucchini moisture content varies wildly. One thing’s certain: this zucchini cake gives you all the soul-soothing comfort of dessert with the bonus of actually containing vegetables!

Frequently Asked Questions

After making this zucchini cake for years (and answering texts from panicked friends mid-bake!), I’ve compiled the most common questions – complete with my tested solutions. Save yourself some kitchen stress with these zucchini cake lifesavers!

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Share Your Zucchini Cake Creation

Let’s keep the baking fun going! If you make this recipe, I’d absolutely love to see how yours turns out. Tag me on Pinterest so I can cheer on your delicious creation—nothing inspires me more than seeing your kitchen successes! Or drop a quick comment sharing your favorite tweak to the recipe. Happy baking!

Moist Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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A tender and flavorful zucchini cake that hides shredded zucchini for a moist and delicious dessert. Perfect for fall or any occasion.

• Author: Sophia Collins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Yield: 12 servings 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded zucchini

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In another bowl, mix oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
4. Fold in shredded zucchini.
5. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
6. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let cool before frosting.

Notes

• For extra moisture, squeeze excess water from shredded zucchini.
• Freeze leftovers wrapped tightly for up to 3 months.
• Find more recipes on our Pinterest account.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 280
• Sugar: 24g
• Sodium: 220mg
• Fat: 12g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Unsaturated Fat: 9g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 40g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 3g
• Cholesterol: 35mg