Old-Fashioned Zucchini Cake

Ingredients for Zucchini Cake
Homemade Ingredients
FAQ’s
Storage & Freezing
Related Recipes
More Cake Recipes

This Old-Fashioned Zucchini Cake is a super moist spice cake with fresh, garden picked zucchini, warm spices and topped with a tangy, homemade cream cheese frosting. My vintage inspiration for this zucchini recipe is from my mom. She maintains a very large garden and this time of year has a lot of zucchini to use.

Ingredients for Zucchini Cake

Dry Ingredients

All-purpose unbleached flour is made from ground wheat kernels with the bran and germ removed. It has a moderate protein content of 10-12%, making it a versatile option for most baked goods.
Instant ClearJel is a modified food starch used as a thickener, stabilizer, and gelling agent. When used in pie fillings, it produces a clear, smooth texture. In baked goods, it helps retain moisture, producing a light, tender texture.
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a leavening agent that, when combined with an acid (like lemon juice, buttermilk, or vinegar) creates carbon dioxide gas to make baked goods rise.
Baking powder is a leavening agent that contains both an acid, like cream of tarter, and a base, like baking soda to help baked goods rise. Use a double-acting aluminum-free baking powder to avoid a bitter aftertaste.
Pink salt is a type of rock salt found near the Himalayas, that is minimally processsed and contains trace minerals.
Cinnamon comes from dried bark from the tropical Asian cinnamon tree and is available as whole cinnamon sticks or ground. There are two types: Cassia which has a warm, sweet flavor, and Ceylon known as “true cinnamon”, which has an intense spicy bite.
Nutmeg is a warm spice that comes from the nutmeg tree in the Spice Islands. It is available as whole nutmeg, grated or pre-ground.
Cloves are the dried flower buds from clove trees, grown in the Spice Islands. Whole cloves are used to infuse flavor into culinary dishes, while ground cloves add a warm, spicy kick to baked goods.

Wet Ingredients

Butter is made from churned cream that contains 80% butterfat. European butter is churned longer and has a higher fat content (82%-85%), which is why it yields more flavor.
Canola oil has a neutral and light flavor and is great for baked goods. Extra Light Olive Oil is another option. If your cake recipe calls for butter, you can substitute using all oil or if you still want to get flavor from butter use a combination of oil and butter together.
Sugar is a made by processing the juice of the sugarcane plant. Cane sugar is a natural option that is less processed with a slightly courser texture.
Brown sugar is granulated sugar combined with molasses, sold as either light brown sugar (with 3.5% molasses) or dark brown sugar (with 6.5% molasses) for a more robust flavor.
Buttermilk is a cultured dairy product that adds a tangy flavor and creates tenderness in baked goods. When purchasing buttermilk, look for simple, natural ingredients such as “cultured milk”.
Eggs are produced by female chickens and are important in baking because their proteins provide structure, they act as a natural leaving agent by trapping air that expands during baking.
Vanilla provides hints of caramel and spice, enhancing the depth of flavor to baked goods. Always use a high-quality, all-natural brand made from real vanilla beans containing at least 35% alcohol.
Zucchini is a type of summer squash that is actually a fruit since it develops a flower and has seeds, and is harvested in late summer.

Mix-Ins

Raisins are sun-ripened dried grapes, made from either green or purple grapes. They are naturally sweet and add chewy texture to baked goods.
Walnuts are the seeds of Juglans trees that are found inside a hard, thick shell that must be cracked open to eat. There are two varieties, the English walnut commonly eaten raw, and the black walnut which has a stronger flavor and often used in savory dishes.

Frosting

Confectioners’ sugar, also known as powdered sugar, is a finely granulated sugar mixed with cornstarch that produces a delicate texture.
Cream cheese is cultured cream and milk with a mild, tangy flavor.

Homemade Ingredients

Buttermilk: Add 1 T. vinegar or lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup and add cream or whole milk until it reaches the 1 c. measure line and let it sit for a few minutes before use.

Vanilla: Purchase Grade B vanilla beans (also called extract-grade), which have less moisture and a more concentrated flavor. Place 8 oz. of bourbon (or vodka) in glass bottle or jar. Split 5-7 vanilla beans down the middle and add to bottle. Let it sit for 3-6 months in a cool, dark place. As you use it, continue to replace the bourbon and add more beans as it keeps for many years.

Baker’s Tips

Combine butter to provide flavor, along with oil to yield a tender, moist baked good. If your recipe calls for only butter or only oil, you can combine them together using equal portions of each to make up the full amount of fat originally called for in the recipe. Choose an oil with a neutral, light flavor, like extra light virgin olive oil or canola oil.
Grate the zucchini on a metal box-grater or use a food processor. After you grate the zucchini, blot with paper towel. You want to retain some of the natural moisture to keep the cake fresh.
After you pull your cake from the oven, cover the cake pan with a baking sheet and let cool for about 5 minutes. If your pan was well-greased, run a knife around the edges and turn the cake out onto a piece of parchment paper. Then wrap right away in saran wrap to seal in moisture.
Keep decorating simple and natural. Decorate with cream cheese frosting or just a simple dusting of powdered sugar. Use natural ingredients that complement the flavor profile of the cake such as placing slivered walnuts on the top.
For the best all natural taste and texture, only use full fat, brick cream cheese. Variations like those labeled as “whipped” or “light” are spreads and may contain liquid, food starch and other additives. If your are going to pipe the cream cheese frosting, you can stabilize it by adding 1-2 T. of cornstarch or unflavored gelatin.
Always use light-colored aluminum baking pans since they conduct heat evenly. Dark cake pans may darken or burn the edges before the inside batter is fully baked.

Dietary Substitutions

For the past 12+ years, I have owned an all-natural specialty bakery converting conventional recipes to gluten free, vegan, wholesome, etc. Read more about it here.

Here are a few basic tips when converting conventional recipes into specialty baked goods.

Shelf Life: Specialty baked goods dry out faster and have a shorter shelf-life than conventional baked goods. Store in airtight container on counter a maximum of 1 – 2 days. The refrigerator will dry out baked goods, so it is best to freeze up to 6 months.
Let Batter Rest: Alternate flours tend to be dense compared to white flour, so be sure to let the batter rest to help eliminate grittiness. Letting the batter sit 15 minutes to overnight will yield a light and tender baked good. For best results, refrigerate the batter overnight up to 3 days.
Oven Temperature: Alternative flours are delicate and tend to brown faster before the center is cooked through, so reduce oven to 325° to bake low and slow adding a few minutes of bake time.
Flour Hydration: Whole grain, almond, coconut, and oat flours can all yield dense baked goods. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons additional liquid (use the same liquid called for in the recipe).

Gluten-Free (no gluten)

Flour: Swap out the flour with a premium gluten-free flour such as King Arthur Measure for Measure or use a homemade gluten-free flour blend. Be sure the flour blend contains xanthan gum. If not add 1/4 tsp. to 1/2 tsp. per every 1 cup of flour into the batter.

Vegan/Dairy Free (no animal products)

Butter: Use unsalted vegan butter sticks such as Violife for best texture and flavor.
Dairy: Replace the dairy with an unsweetened plant based milk such as oat, coconut or almond milk.
Egg: To replace 1 egg, place 1 tsp. of baking soda into your batter then pour 1 T. white vinegar on top of the baking soda.

Keto (low carb, high fat)

Flour: Swap out the white flour for almond flour or coconut flour.
Sugar: Replace the sugar with monkfruit such as Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener which mimics granulated sugar. Although the product suggests using a 1:1 swap, I find it too sweet and use a little less.
Dairy: Replace the dairy with unsweetened plant-based milk (almond, flax or coconut).
Hydration: Add 1 additional egg to the batter.

Wholesome (minimally processed)

Flour: Swap out one third to half the white flour with King Arthur white whole wheat flour or King Arthur 100% whole wheat flour or use Bob’s oat flour.
Sugar: Replace the sugar with maple syrup or honey. Use 3/4 c. honey for every 1 c. sugar called for in a recipe.
Dairy: Replace the dairy with unsweetened plant-based milk (oat, coconut or almond).
Fat: For every 1 c. of butter called for in a recipe, use 3/4 c. heart-healthy oil (extra-light olive) or 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce + 1/2 c. oil.

FAQ’s

Can I use frozen zucchini?

Yes, this cake can be made year-round, however, using fresh-picked zucchini tastes great and good way to use up this late summer vegetable from the garden. If you are going to use frozen shredded zucchini, only let it thaw until it can be broken up. Otherwise, it will create too much excess moisture.

Storage & Freezing

Baked: store in air-tight container and leave on counter up to 3 days. To freeze, cover unfrosted cake layers in saran wrap and place in freezer-safe container up to 6 months. Thaw on counter in the container for 1/2 hour before opening up the container.

Unbaked Batter: Prepare batter and place in a sealed container up to 3-5 days in refrigerator.