Home Desserts Zucchini Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Zucchini Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

(6 votes)
49 Comments3 minutes
September 16, 2022
Carole Jones

Desserts

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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!

Need another zucchini recipe? These Carrot and Zucchini Bars will be just what you need!

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

Just made this for my family after our zuchinni plant blessed us with one too many! It was a hit! I squeezed out the excess water from zuchinni and had to add 15 mins to the cook time for 2 loaf pans with half the recipe but it was perfection! Great bread on its own but the frosting took it to the next level! Had to put the frosting in the fridge for a bit when it started to run which helped… all in all we are so doing this again ! Thank you!

So glad you liked it Ruby! If I can make a suggestion, don’t squeeze out the extra water after you grate the zucchini. That extra moisture really makes the cake so soft and tender! -Carole

The cake needed to cook much longer than the 30-35 minutes suggested. I made a 9×13 and it needed a good hour. I covered the it with foil the last 20 minutes.

That doesn’t surprise me Pauline. The recipe is supposed to be baked in three small pans so yes, baking it all together in one large pan will take a lot longer. Thanks for your comment! -Carole

Waiting for the cakes to cool so i can frost them-cant wait to try it! One question, though-does this need to be stored in the refrigerator? Thank you for sharing your recipe!

Hey Erin! I like to store my cream cheese frostings in the fridge but not a necessity either.

I can’t wait to make this but I have a question about the flour. Is it all purpose flour and not self rising since you are adding baking soda? Thank you!

Howdy Pam! You are correct.

Just wondering 3 cups sugar seems a lot?

Hey Lisa! You are right, it is a lot but remember that you are making a triple layer cake compared to a normal double layer or a 9×13 inch size. It makes a lot of cake 🙂

Hi ya Lisa, how can I convert this to either 9″ cake pans or a bunt, I don’t have 6″ pans? It looks soooooooo good!

Hi Sharon – you can definitely use either but will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly! – Carole

I just made it, in the oven right now. I did how ever make it into a sheet cake and added lemon peel into the batter. Baking right now smells great.

Glad you made the recipe work for you Nikki!

I made this yesterday in a bundt pan. It was so good . My friends really loved it.

I’m so glad Luanne!

Made this today. Super easy to make and super moist and delicious. My only issue and I have never had this happen when I make a cake is they all sank in the middle after they over flowed in the oven.. saddness.. they didn’t turn out pretty but taste wonderful I checked and rechecked recipe ingredients nothing was missed everything measured precisely so not sure what happened. Will try it again because it tastes amazing.

Wow Beth! I’m not sure what happened either. My only thought is maybe you used tablespoons of the baking powder and baking soda instead of teaspoons?

Haven’t made it yet but I have a question. Did you really mean 6 inch pans? That’s a lot of batter and wouldn’t it be very tall for that size pan?

Hi Jeannine! You can certainly use 6 inch pans but the cake shown did not use 6 inch pans. If you do use 6 inch pans, don’t overfill them because you will have some extra batter. Good luck!

Your recipe calls for 6″ pans. I’m confused as to what size pan to use.

Hi Janie! I used 6 inch round cake pans. Round pans are measured by their diameter.

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Zucchini Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting