Spiced zucchini cake is an incredibly delicious way to get veggies into your diet! This cake is incredibly moist and the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg make this a wonderful dessert to serve during this time of year, especially as the weather gets colder.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! ❤️ If you give it a try, please let me know how it turned out for you in the comments section at the bottom of the page or share a pic of your om noms on Instagram and tag @dishesanddustbunnies! ❤️
Get the Recipe at the bottom of the page!
Why do people put zucchini in cake?
To some, zucchini might sound like an unusual addition to cakes, and honestly, I thought it sounded strange too when I first started baking. 😂
One of my favourite ways to use zucchini is in a dessert! If you're looking for a different but delicious way to prepare zucchini, you should definitely try out my recipe for spiced zucchini cake!
Zucchini adds a beautiful texture and moistness to baked goods, and its mild flavour makes it easy to disguise healthy nutrients! If you've ever had banana bread, it works similarly to zucchini when baked into goodies. Zucchini goes well with just about any flavours… warm spices like in this recipe or even with chocolate!
With zucchini going out of season soon, you'll most likely find lots of them on sale at your local market or grocery store. It can be used in so many dishes – not just roasted or in salads as many people do – it works great in baked goodies!
If you've never had a cake or dessert using zucchini before please trust me on this. Zucchini cake is amazing!
How to make Spiced Zucchini Bundt cake – an Overview
Spiced zucchini cake is super easy to make! You can find detailed instructions in the recipe at the bottom of the page, but here is a little overview of how it's done:
To begin, grease a bundt pan and set it aside. Prepare the zucchini by grating it into a mixing bowl. Next, it's important to squeeze out the excess moisture in the zucchini; you can use a mesh strainer or something similar to do this.
The wet ingredients are combined next; zucchini, butter, milk, vanilla and eggs. Then, in a separate mixing bowl, the dry ingredients are combined; flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and spices.
Next, the wet ingredients are poured into the dry and combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter; you want to mix until the dry ingredients just start to dissolve into the wet. The batter is now poured into the bundt pan and baked at 350°F for about 45 minutes.
Once it's done baking, allow it to cool (while still in the pan). When it's ready, put a serving plate on top of the pan and flip it over; the cake should come easily out of the pan.
After the cake has cooled, I drizzle a basic cinnamon sugar glaze over top and reserve a little extra in a measuring cup on the side to pour on the individual slices just in case anybody wants more sweetness! This just adds to the awesomeness! And let me tell you… It's a lot of awesome!
For the exact details on exactly how to make a spiced zucchini bundt cake, you can find the recipe at the bottom of the page. 😋
How do you Grate zucchini for a cake?
Cut the ends off the zucchini, then just start grating it over a mixing bowl; it's that simple! 😋 You don't need to peel the zucchini for the cake since the skin creates pretty tiny green flecks of colour throughout the cake, plus there are lots of nutrients in the skin!
Should I squeeze out the excess moisture out of my zucchini before adding it to the cake?
For this recipe to come out perfect every time, make sure that after you grate the zucchini you squeeze some of the moisture out. The zucchini doesn't have to be completely dried out, but I find the giving them a little squeeze to get the excess liquid out helps gives this cake a wonderful texture.
Doing this will also allow the zucchini to soak up all the other flavours in the cake. 🙂
Zucchini is great for adding moisture to baked goods, for sure, but before adding it to your cake, it's best to squeeze out some of the extra water. Sometimes it actually has too much moisture! Removing the excess water will give you a wonderfully balanced texture… dense and moist but not as heavy as a brick. haha
Get the Recipe at the bottom of the page!
How to store zucchini cake:
To keep my zucchini cake as fresh as possible, I prefer to store it in the fridge. It should keep well in the refrigerator for about a week so long as it's wrapped in plastic wrap or in an air-tight container. Before serving, it's a good idea to take the cake out of the fridge and leave it out for about 20 minutes.
You can also store any leftover zucchini cake in the freezer, so long as it's wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in an airtight container or freezer bag. It should be good for about 3 months when frozen.
Spiced Zucchini Bundt Cake
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups zucchini (is equal to about 1 or 2 zucchinis), grated and some of the moisture squeezed out
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp + 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
For the simple Glaze:
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/4 –1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 4 – 6 Tbsp milk (adjust according to how thick you want the glaze)
Optional: Instead of the simple glaze, you can also use my cream cheese icing recipe.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 10″ bundt pan with cooking spray or butter. Set aside.
- Prepare the zucchini by grating over a mixing bowl.
- Over a mesh strainer, use your hands to squeeze out some of the moisture from the zucchini. You don't have to get all the moisture out, but it's best to remove some before moving onto the next steps. Once you do this, add the zucchini back into the mixing bowl.
- Into the mixing bowl with the zucchini, combine the melted butter, milk, vanilla and eggs. Mix well.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and spices. Using a whisk works well to get everything well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Combine.
IMPORTANT: When combining the wet and dry ingredients, try to avoid over stirring. You want to mix until the dry just starts to dissolve into the wet. - Pour the batter into the greased bundt pan and use a spoon or spatula to spread it evenly.
- Place the cake in the oven to bake for about 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack (still in the pan).
- Once ready to serve, place a plate on top of the bundt pan and flip over. The cake should easily come out of the pan.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake in the desired amount. Reserve some of the glaze to serve with the cake if anyone wants extra! 😀
How to make the glaze:
- Combine all ingredients under the Glaze section above. Adjust the amount of milk used depending on how thick you would like it.
- This makes about 1 cup of glaze, which is enough for the cake, plus some to serve on the side if you want extra.
- You can also adjust the amount of cinnamon depending on your tastes.
Notes
Regarding the glaze: You can serve the zucchini cake without the glaze if you like, as the cake is yummy enough as it is. If you'd like to use a cream cheese icing/frosting instead of the simple glaze, that works too! I'd highly recommend trying it with my cream cheese icing recipe. 😋
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
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