Zucchini Cake

5 from 1 vote

This Zucchini Cake is ultra-moist and topped with dreamy cream cheese frosting. Bonus: it’s flourless, dairy-free, and has no refined sugar—delicious and guilt-free!

Prep Time15

Cook Time32

Total Time47

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Healthy, Vegetarian

Keyword: Zucchini Cake

Servings: bars

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $6.83

Equipment

Ingredients

Cooking spray

Zucchini Cake

1 cup cashews see note 2
1 cup old-fashioned oats see note 3
3/4 cup pure maple syrup see note 4
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch see note 5
1 teaspoon zest of a lemon optional but recommended
1 cup finely grated zucchini

Optional Cream Cheese Frosting

2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
Toasted and coarsely chopped pecans optional

US - Metric

Instructions

If making frosting, set out cream cheese 30 minutes to and hour beforehand to soften to avoid chunky frosting. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
Grate zucchini on small side of a grater to get fine shreds. Loosely measure to get 1 cup, then empty the zucchini onto 2 paper towels. Press another paper towel on the zucchini to wring out some liquid. Repeat with another paper towel. Leave zucchini on the paper towel until ready to use.
Add cashews, oats, maple syrup, and coconut oil (measure when melted) to a large, powerful blender and blend until fairly smooth, 60 seconds. Add in remaining cake ingredients except zucchini. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 60–90 seconds. Stop and scrape down sides of the blender as needed. Gently stir prepared zucchini into batter in the blender, then pour batter into prepared pan, using a spatula to scrape out every bit.
Smooth the top with the spatula and bake 28–34 minutes or until cake is lightly browned at edges and set in the middle (toothpick when inserted in the center should come out clean); 32 minutes is perfect in my oven!
Meanwhile, if making frosting, place softened cream cheese in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese with vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar (beating between additions) until smooth and creamy to your desired consistency. Add milk and beat until smooth.
Frost the completely cooled cake evenly with the frosting. If desired, top frosting with chopped pecans.

Video

Notes

Note 1: You’ll need a good, powerful blender (such as Blendtec or Vitamix) to break down the cashews without overheating the machine.

Note 2: I love dry-roasted and lightly salted cashews best—more flavor without any extra effort on your part. (Here’s what I use in this cake)

Note 3: Although it would make sense that any oats would work since they’re getting blended anyway, it’s important to use old-fashioned to ensure you get the right measurement. Both quick and steel-cut oats are smaller, denser, and more compact, so measurements would be off and the cake would end up too dry.

Note 4: Pure maple syrup is a natural sweetener (unlike corn syrup or pancake syrup) made from the sap of a maple tree, which is boiled down to a thicker consistency. I don’t recommend any substitutes.

Note 5: Corn starch is an important ingredient since we aren’t using flour and need some additional support and thickness.

Nutrition Note: Nutrition information does not include the optional cream cheese frosting. With the frosting, one serving of this cake is 236 calories.

Storage: Store unfrosted cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For frosted cake, wrap tightly and keep in the fridge for up to 2–3 days to avoid staleness. To freeze unfrosted cake, let cool completely and slice. Wrap bars in plastic and store in freezer bags. Thaw at room temperature or in the microwave.

Nutrition