Zucchini Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting is the best recipe to use all the garden surplus you have! A triple layer cake that is so dense and moist, then you slather a killer lemon cream cheese frosting all over it.
I think once school is back in session, there is somehow a shift in the time-space continuum. That first day of school, I feel all full of determination and dedication to finishing all the projects that have to get done. Especially now that 5 of my 6 kids are in school for 7 hours a day.
I should have all the time in the world to get them done…..right???
Well, we are about to finish our second week of school and my to-do list only grew. When I sit back to try to figure out where those 70 hours of almost child free hours have gone, I am at a complete loss. The most pressing matter on my project list is my garden. So much food that needs to be canned or frozen!! Don’t even get me started on my apple tree that decided to start dropping fruit 3 weeks earlier than normal. Usually when feeling this overwhelmed, I will get up a few hours earlier to give myself more time. I am currently getting up at 5:00 am. I don’t think getting up at 3:00 am would do me or my family much good.
The closest thing I have done to preserving my garden’s bounty was this amazing zucchini cake. Though, it was gone in less than 24 hours, so I’m not sure I could count it as preserving. I loved how easy it was to mix together in a bowl, with no need to haul out my mixer. If you want a simpler version, just bake it in a 9×13 inch pan instead!
My favorite zucchini recipe becomes this triple layered moist cake which is then slathered in a fabulous lemon cream cheese frosting!
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
3 C flour
3 C white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
1 1/2 C oil
1 tsp vanilla
3 C grated zucchini
Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 C butter, room temperature
zest of 1 lemon
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 C powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray three 6″ round cake pans and line the bottoms with wax paper or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for the cake. In a medium bowl, beat together all the remaining ingredients for the cake. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well. Divide evenly between the three pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake bounces back when gently touched in the center. While the cake bakes, use a wooden spoon to beat together the cream cheese, butter and lemon zest until smooth. Add the remaining frosting ingredients and mix until smooth and lump free.
Cool the cakes for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack. Remove the pan and slowly peel away the wax/parchment paper liners. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Author:Carole Jones
Nutrition
Serving Size:1/16th
Calories:664
Sugar:69g
Sodium:362mg
Fat:33g
Saturated Fat:8g
Unsaturated Fat:22g
Trans Fat:0g
Carbohydrates:88g
Fiber:1g
Protein:5g
Cholesterol:76mg
Carole Jones
Carole Jones is an Arizona-based cookbook author & food blogger. She's authored The 30 Minute Cooking From Frozen Cookbook and the self-published Take 5: Chicken e-cookbook. For the past 15 years, Carole has shared her culinary adventures cooking and baking for her six brutally honest children here on My Kitchen Escapades. Hot, crusty bread is Carole's love language, but her two adorable grandchildren are a close second. Yes, second. Don't judge.
49 comments
Michelle
14 years ago
Ooh, this looks delicious! I have a giant zucchini that I was planning on stuffing and doing something healthy with but I think we might have to “settle” for this instead. :o)
Jen T
14 years ago
So understand your statement about free time disappearing and project lists getting longer with no kids home. Sigh. . .right there with ya and my long list. This cake looks amazing! My garden died long ago with our over 100 degree days in July and water restrictions because of the drought, but I have one zucchini left in the fridge, and this recipe is calling out to it! Thanks!
Emily Thompson
13 years ago
Would it be possible to make this as a sheet cake? Just curious, I don’t have round cake pans. Thanks!
Donna K Stanfield
3 years ago
If you try it please let us know if it works out and perhaps the cake pan size, temp and approx time it takes. Appreciate your future inputs
Carole
13 years ago
Absolutely! Just watch the cake because I’m sure the time will be different than for the round cakes.
Emily
13 years ago
Wonderful!! Thanks for answering, I can’t wait to try this! Looks delicious!
Angela
13 years ago
hi thanks for this recipe, it was great! The frosting was a bit runny – how did you get it to set? thanks
adrienne
11 years ago
Can jou perhaps use almond flower and make it more healthy. Cake flour is ratpoison.
Carole
11 years ago
Rat poison….I had no idea 🙂 I have never tried this recipe with almond flour so if you give it a try, come back and let me know how it turned out for you Adrienne
Claudia
11 years ago
What do you exactly mean by grated zucchini?
I can imagine many ways to grate them….peeled, not peeled, sliced, etc
Help pls!
Carole
11 years ago
Claudia- do you have a grater or shredder that you would use to grate cheese? Just use that with some zucchini and viola
Kristin M
11 years ago
Just wondering if you have to let the zuchini “sweat” after you grate it. Just worried about it not holding together as a whole. 🙂
Carole
11 years ago
I have always used it freshly grated and never had any problems.
Kristin M
11 years ago
Awesome!!! Makin it as we speak!!
Jodi A
11 years ago
Oh my! I had an overabundance of zucchini in my garden last year, so I was searching for different ways to use them all. I came across your recipe for Zucchini Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting and gave it a try. It was my husband’s (and family’s) FAVORITE way to eat zucchini! I just plucked the first zucchinis from my garden this summer and immediately came in to find and print off this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing this!
Carole
11 years ago
That is so awesome Jodi! Thanks for coming back and sharing your experience with me. It means a lot to me -Carole
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49 comments
Ooh, this looks delicious! I have a giant zucchini that I was planning on stuffing and doing something healthy with but I think we might have to “settle” for this instead. :o)
So understand your statement about free time disappearing and project lists getting longer with no kids home. Sigh. . .right there with ya and my long list. This cake looks amazing! My garden died long ago with our over 100 degree days in July and water restrictions because of the drought, but I have one zucchini left in the fridge, and this recipe is calling out to it! Thanks!
Would it be possible to make this as a sheet cake? Just curious, I don’t have round cake pans. Thanks!
If you try it please let us know if it works out and perhaps the cake pan size, temp and approx time it takes. Appreciate your future inputs
Absolutely! Just watch the cake because I’m sure the time will be different than for the round cakes.
Wonderful!! Thanks for answering, I can’t wait to try this! Looks delicious!
hi thanks for this recipe, it was great! The frosting was a bit runny – how did you get it to set? thanks
Can jou perhaps use almond flower and make it more healthy. Cake flour is ratpoison.
Rat poison….I had no idea 🙂 I have never tried this recipe with almond flour so if you give it a try, come back and let me know how it turned out for you Adrienne
What do you exactly mean by grated zucchini?
I can imagine many ways to grate them….peeled, not peeled, sliced, etc
Help pls!
Claudia- do you have a grater or shredder that you would use to grate cheese? Just use that with some zucchini and viola
Just wondering if you have to let the zuchini “sweat” after you grate it. Just worried about it not holding together as a whole. 🙂
I have always used it freshly grated and never had any problems.
Awesome!!! Makin it as we speak!!
Oh my! I had an overabundance of zucchini in my garden last year, so I was searching for different ways to use them all. I came across your recipe for Zucchini Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting and gave it a try. It was my husband’s (and family’s) FAVORITE way to eat zucchini! I just plucked the first zucchinis from my garden this summer and immediately came in to find and print off this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing this!
That is so awesome Jodi! Thanks for coming back and sharing your experience with me. It means a lot to me -Carole