Zucchini for the win! This is zucchini cake, and it’s every bit as flavorful as zucchini bread, as soft as zucchini muffins, and just about as magically moist as chocolate zucchini cake. Every cinnamon-kissed bite is nestled under a blanket of brown butter cream cheese frosting. Today’s cake and frosting combo is pure perfection, and everyone will be begging to have greens for dessert!
One reader, Monica, commented: “This is the best zucchini recipe I’ve ever made. It was extremely easy to put together, and what a hit! I brought it to work a month ago, and my colleagues regularly bring it up. ‘Remember when you made that cake? It was so good!’ I will absolutely make this time and again. Even my boss, who does not eat dessert, had a small piece and said it was delicious. ★★★★★”
I know vegetables in cake can raise some eyebrows, but keep an open mind. You’ve heard of carrot cake, right? Zucchini is loaded with moisture, and adds a ton of volume without much flavor at all. Think of it as applesauce or banana, but with less flavor. It acts as a wet ingredient, and pairs wonderfully with everything from cinnamon and nutmeg to chocolate and citrus. I love baking with zucchini, so it’s no surprise I’ve amassed quite a lineup of favorite zucchini recipes over the years. (See this incredibly tasty peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread as further proof!)
Today I’m sharing a simple sheet cake recipe with plenty of spice flavor, notes of brown sugar, and kisses of sweet vanilla. It’s simple, yet impressive. Taste testers (kids and adults!) couldn’t get enough. We all LOVED this cake.
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Zucchini Cake, Too:
- Great for beginners—no complicated decorating or assembly required
- Batter comes together in 5 minutes
- Extra moist and flavorful
- Uses up a bountiful summer vegetable
- Sheet cakes are easy to slice, serve, and transport
- Brown butter cream cheese frosting… need I say more?
Sheet Cakes Rule All
Sheet cakes are renowned for being easier than layer cakes—no leveling off cake layers, no fancy decorating tools, no assembly whatsoever. Slicing and serving is a breeze, and you’ll appreciate that this zucchini cake can feed a crowd, but is still completely manageable to make. It’s one of the easiest desserts to transport, too!
Some popular sheet cakes include banana cake, apple cake, spice cake, and pumpkin cake.
Favorite Pan: I really like to bake quarter sheet cakes in a glass 9×13-inch pan or this metal pan that comes with a lid. The lid is super convenient for storing & transporting.
Key Ingredients You Need
For today’s cake, grab some of the same ingredients you’d use for zucchini bread. The cake is actually a dairy-free recipe if you skip the frosting. (And you can keep it dairy free by adding a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar on top for garnish.)
Grab these ingredients:
Success Tip: Shredding Zucchini
The cake batter comes together in just 5 minutes with simple kitchen tools including a couple bowls, a whisk, and a spatula. You also need a grater to shred the zucchini. If you’re looking for recommendations, I own and love this box grater because it’s easy to use, grates quickly, and has held up well with regular use. It’s what I use when making zucchini fritters, apple zucchini bread, and chocolate zucchini bread, too.
- How much zucchini do I need? Zucchini can vary greatly in size, but 1-2 medium zucchinis are plenty for this recipe. You need 1 and 3/4 cups shredded, which is about 210g.
- Pro Tip: Shred extra so you can make a batch of zucchini cookies. Or savory zucchini biscuits for dinner!
Here’s How to Make Zucchini Cake
Whisk together the dry ingredients, whisk together the wet ingredients, combine the two, and then fold in the zucchini. That’s it… the cake batter is done. What a complicated recipe! 😉
Zucchini acts as a wet ingredient in baking. It doesn’t necessarily replace a fat like oil or a binding ingredient like eggs, but it does add moisture and volume.
Use a box grater like this one. Rinse the zucchini and pat dry. Slice off the bottom end, and place the grater on or over a cutting board. Holding the stem end, run the zucchini on the box grater’s coarse grating side (the largest holes) until you get down to the stem.
You can peel zucchini before using in baking, but you don’t have to. (I don’t!) There’s no taste or texture variance either way, but you’ll have flecks of green throughout the cake if you keep the peel on.
Usually, no. You want that extra moisture in baked goods, so do not blot the shredded zucchini before using in baking. If making a savory dish like zucchini casserole or zucchini fritters, however, draining excess liquid is key. It all depends on what you’re making, and if moisture is your friend or foe!
Try Zucchini Cake With Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
AKA THE BEST FROSTING TO EVER HIT YOUR LIPS.
Have you ever browned butter to make cream cheese frosting before? Because once you do, you’ll never go back. You have all of the tangy creaminess from cream cheese frosting, and the nutty, caramelized flavor from brown butter on top of it. I don’t overload the frosting with sugar, either—just enough to bulk it up without masking the brown butter flavor.
After you brown the butter on the stove, refrigerate it until it’s cool and solidified. (You can do this as the cake bakes or cools.) Then cream it with the cream cheese to make the base of the frosting. It’s pretty easy and I have an entire How to Brown Butter tutorial if you need some extra help.
Look at all of those brown butter flecks. F-L-A-V-O-R.
There’s no assembly required, which is my favorite part about serving one-layer cakes. Here are all of my single-layer cakes if you’re in the mood to browse more!
Here are some other ways you can use this zucchini cake batter:
Other Cake Sizes
- Bundt Cake: This cake batter will fit into a greased 10-cup or larger Bundt pan. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 55–70 minutes. The baking time varies depending on your oven; keep your eye on the cake after 55 minutes. Feel free to cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil about halfway through to prevent heavy browning on top.
- Layer Cake: Grease three 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. Divide batter between the three round cake pans. Bake for around 26–32 minutes, depending on which size pan you used. Use the brown butter cream cheese frosting recipe/ratios from this banana layer cake so you have enough.
- Cupcakes: Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 19–21 minutes. Yields about 3 dozen.
Easy Zucchini Cake
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 48 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy zucchini cake comes together quickly. You’ll love the cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla flavors paired with the stick-to-the-back-of-your-fork moist texture. Enjoy it with lusciously smooth brown butter cream cheese frosting, or you can opt for a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar instead.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
- 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240g) unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 3/4 cups (210g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 slices
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 and 1/2 cups (300g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Fold in the shredded zucchini until combined.
- Pour and spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 45–50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on it. Around the 30-minute mark, loosely tent with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.
- Brown the butter: Set out a medium heatproof bowl because you’ll need it at the end of this step. Place the sliced butter in a light-colored skillet or saucepan. A light-colored interior is crucial for determining when the butter begins to brown. Melt the butter over medium heat and stir or whisk constantly. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Continue stirring/whisking, keeping a close eye on it. After about 5–7 minutes, the butter will begin browning and you’ll notice lightly browned specks forming at the bottom of the pan. The butter will have a nutty aroma. The color will gradually deepen, from yellow to golden to golden-brown; once it’s a light caramel-brown color, remove from heat immediately and pour into the bowl, including any brown solids that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely and solidify.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the solidified brown butter on high speed until creamy and smooth. Add the cream cheese and beat again until smooth and combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake.
- Slice and serve.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 5. Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before serving. Continue with step 6.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Box Grater | 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Light-Colored Skillet | Silicone Whisk | Icing Spatula
- Quarter Sheet Pan: I really like to bake quarter sheet cakes in a glass 9×13-inch pan or this metal pan that comes with a lid.
- Can I replace or reduce the oil? Vegetable oil is the best option for this cake. You can replace with a neutral-flavored oil such as avocado oil or canola oil. Feel free to use melted refined coconut oil (refined doesn’t have much of a coconut flavor) and make sure every other ingredient in the cake batter is room temperature, so the oil doesn’t solidify. Do not replace with melted butter because the cake will taste dry. You can replace a small amount of the oil with applesauce if needed, but keep in mind that the cake will begin to taste dry/rubbery the more oil you replace.
- Applesauce: It’s best to use unsweetened applesauce in this recipe—you need a wet ingredient that won’t overpower the other flavors in the cake. Feel free to use mashed banana or canned crushed pineapple instead, but keep in mind that the flavor of the cake will change.
- Brown Butter: For more information and troubleshooting, see this post on how to brown butter.
- Layer Cake: Grease three 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. Divide batter between the three round cake pans. Bake for about 26–32 minutes, depending on which size pan you used. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Use the brown butter cream cheese frosting recipe/ratios from this banana layer cake so you have enough.
- Bundt Cake: This cake batter will fit into a greased 10-cup or larger Bundt pan. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 55–70 minutes. The baking time varies depending on your oven; keep your eye on the cake after 55 minutes. Feel free to cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil about halfway through to prevent heavy browning on top. Allow the cake to cool in the pan set on a wire rack, then invert onto a serving plate once cooled and ready to serve.
- Cupcakes: Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 19–21 minutes. Yields about 3 dozen.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I have made this recipe three times in the past two months and each time I have been blown clean away by how amazing it has turned out. Even with my substitution of banana puree instead of applesauce and some tweaking of the icing the recipe has produced perfectly each time. This is now my favorite cake and its not even close (sorry cheesecake).
I would like to make this recipe ~ Can I use Whole Wheat flour – if so, how much 1/2 regular flour and 1/2 WW ?
Hi Pamela, you can try using 1/2 whole wheat flour here, but the resulting cake will be more dense and dry from the whole wheat flour. Let us know if you give it a try!
I just made this cake, and I used 1.5 cups white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. I also cut the sugar significantly with .5 cup granulated sugar and 1.25 cups brown sugar. I cut the oil to .5 cup and added an extra .5 cup of applesauce. The cake still turned out amazing! I didn’t cut the sugar as much for the frosting, but I will definitely cut more next time. I have been making SBA recipes for years, and I’m so glad I found this one!
This is a really wonderful cake.
It took me longer than expected to make it but it was worth the effort.
I used a very heavy duty metal 13 x9” pan purchased from King Arthur & I’m glad I checked it at 40 minutes because it had pulled away from the sides of the pan & it tested done with a toothpick. I was afraid it was overdone. Next time I’ll check it sooner. However, the cake was moist & delicious with the cream cheese icing.
I’ll certainly make this again!
Can I merely halve all the ingredients and use an 8″x8″ pan?
Hi John, we’d go with a 9 inch square pan if you have one!
Just made the cake and icing. OMG… the icing. It was so good and will one of my go-to recipes for other cakes, etc. Taking time to brown the butter is 100% worth it!
Can a mixer without whisk or paddle be used?
Hi Priscilla, we don’t even use a mixer here, just whisk by hand. But you can use one!
Yummy! What to do with a couple spare zucchini – make this cake! I did not have unsweetened applesauce, so I substituted about 3/4 cup of greek yogurt. I also upped the salt to 1 tsp because I generally find that most recipes need more salt than it calls for in order to balance and enhance flavors. It turned out deliciously moist with great flavor! I did not take the time to brown the butter for the frosting but I can imagine it would be even more delicious if I had.
I think there’s a typo. A cup of oil weighs about 200 grams (it’s lighter than water), not 240, which is what a cup of water weighs. The rest of the weight measurements seem to be OK. Making this for my book club. Excited to try it.
Hi Jennifer, the recipe reads 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil (not grams—ml is a unit of volume). Hope this helps to clarify and that you enjoy the recipe!
This recipe turned out great! I used a metal 9 X 13 cake pan and it definitely cooked more quickly than a glass Pyrex. 40 mins only. The icing was to die for. Thank you!
This recipe is so easy and so delicious. It was such a hit with my family that my sister-in-law asked to take some home! The brown butter frosting adds a special touch. I topped the pieces with chopped toasted pecans – a great addition. Thanks, Sally, for another go-to recipe.
Hi Sally! I always trust your recipes …. you haven’t failed me yet!! Any ideas for a garnish for the zucchini cake with browned butter icing? I was thinking about chopping up some hazelnuts. Thoughts? Anything else? Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Jim, your favorite chopped nuts would be fantastic here! Hope you love this cake.
Fantastic recipe! I made 24 cupcakes. They were done at 17 minutes. I did use Penzeys cake spice and apple pie spice in place of the cinnamon. Then added some extra spices (cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves) as I wanted it to taste like a spice cake. The frosting is INCREDIBLE. It is very soft – so don’t expect to be able to really pipe it. But the taste – 5 stars.
Very good! Too much frosting for me, but it was yummy. Next time I will cut the frosting in half. Thanks for the great recipe.
Too oily ugh
This is the BEST zucchini cake I have ever tasted! The burned butter in the frosting adds so much flavor and the cake is so moist!
I only have sweetened applesauce that is home made. Do I need to make adjustments to this recipe. Can’t have banana and pineapple.
Hi Diane, it’s best to use unsweetened here, but you can certainly give it a try.
Delicious and easy recipe and a great way to use up the abundance of zucchini in the garden. The browned butter in the icing is key!
Your recipes are always my go-to. This one turned out great! First time making a brown butter frosting. It is amazing! Thank you for sharing your recipes with us!!
The aroma of all this while baking and preparing the icing was a sensory delight! Can’t stop eating these! Batter made 15 cupcakes which were pillowy soft and moist. This outstanding cream cheese icing recipe will be the only one I will ever use again! ! Many thanks.
Great recipe, we have now done this with yellow squash, zucchini, and calabresa squash, and all work great. Really doesn’t need frosting if you just want to eat it like bread, but even better with it. With a metal cake pan 9×13, we generally only need to bake about 35 – 40 max at 350. Also can sub for the applesauce, we used crema / sour cream in a recent batch as we’re trying to slowly introduce cooked dairy to our toddler who was milk protein intolerant, but sour cream in this recipe is great as well.
This cake exceed my expectations! The cake with the brown butter cream cheese frosting is truly a match made in heaven. I love any sort of dessert that I can add vegetables in where it actually tastes good. I will be making this recipe again and again and again.
I used banana instead of applesauce and when my family tried it, they said they loved the banana taste! So if you don’t have applesauce I recommend trying banana.
This recipe was a big hit!! My family thought it was great!!!
This cake was perfect. Held together well, generously flavored. Used it to make a 3 layer topped with Marscapone frosting. Only change was adding 1 T freshly grated ginger root.
Oh my goodness!!! This cake and frosting are off the chart delicious! This came together easily and did not take too long to pull together. The icing is worth the little extra time to brown the butter. Another Sally recipe to add to the rotation! Thank you Sally!
I freeze my shredded zucchini. Should i drain some of the liquid off when making your cake recipe? Thanks
Hi Janet, yes, we’d recommend draining off the excess liquid once thawed and frozen. Enjoy!
This is the BEST Zucchini Cake I have ever made. It’s very moist but it also doesn’t fall apart when you cut it. The best part about this cake is the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing!! It’s fabulous and makes this cake just the right amount of sweet!
Great recipe – cake came out wonderfully moist and delicious. And grating the zucchini was super easy!
We’re still getting plenty of zucchini, so I decided to try this cake. It was so delicious. I added about three quarters of a cup of raisins, but really this cake had plenty of flavor even without that addition. The frosting was the perfect icing, wonderful texture and different with its added brown butter. I’d never made brown butter before, but the recipe walked me through it so it came out just right. Everyone in the family loves this cake.
Definitely a hit! My mom had a huge zucchini, about12 inches long and 4 inches around in diameter and there’s only so many times you can have it as a side dish before you get sick of it,so I used about half of what was left(A still impressive eight inches or so) and filled a casserole dish and a half,not to mention the icing is addictive.
Great recipe. Your page is so busy with pop ups and ads and takes forever to load and then reloads constantly, so it’s difficult to use. Probably won’t use your site again as this is a problem.
Hi Kari, thank you for taking the time to leave this comment. There should absolutely not be any pop-up ads on my recipe pages, and reloading is a huge red flag. It sounds like something isn’t working properly behind the scenes, and I’m alerting my ad team right away to investigate and fix it. I’m so sorry for the frustrating experience.
Wow! This is absolutely one of the BEST cakes i’ve ever made ! Tender, moist, delicious ! Did a couple tweaks — since i’m not a nutmeg fan, decreased the nutmeg and added a couple teaspoons of mace. Also did my own version of cream-cheese/butter frosting. Thanks for posting such a wonderful treat !!