zucchini snack cake (brown butter cream cheese frosting!)

Zucchini Cake is the perfect summer snack cake! A simple one-bowl batter makes an incredibly tender & moist cake, with a hint of warm spices and plenty of freshly grated zucchini. Slather a brown butter cream cheese frosting on top – I guarantee it’s the best frosting you’ll ever taste!

this recipe

Why you’ll love this Zucchini Cake:

• Tender & Moist Cake – This spiced cake is super tender & the shredded zucchini makes it nice and moist! Bonus – it stays moist in the fridge for days!
• Easy Recipe – This is a simple one-bowl cake you can whip up at a moment’s notice.
• Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting – The flavor in this frosting is incredible! You’ll want to add it to everything you bake.

Ingredient Overview:

As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).

• Vegetable Oil – Using vegetable oil keeps this cake ultra tender & moist. It tastes just as good as a butter based cake, but is much more tender!
• Eggs – Use large eggs, at room temperature.
• Sour Cream – Use full fat sour cream, at room temperature.
• All-purpose flour – Spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level it with a flat utensil for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly into your flour will lead to too much flour, and a potentially dry bake.
• Milk – Use any milk you like, at room temperature. I’ve used oat milk and 2% dairy milk in this recipe.
• Zucchini – Use fresh zucchini, finely grated. There’s no need to squeeze out the liquid – it helps keep this cake moist! If you still have more zucchini to use up after making this, try my Zucchini Pancakes or my super moist & fluffy Zucchini Bread!
• Cream Cheese – Use full fat blocks of cream cheese.

Recipe Substitutions & Variations:

• Gluten-free – I have not tested a gluten-free version of this recipe.
• Dairy-free – Use your favorite, trusted dairy-free butter (not margarine) and cream cheese for the frosting to make this recipe dairy-free.

How to Make this Zucchini Cake Recipe:

Step 1: Brown the Butter. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then continue cooking, stirring lazily, for 5 minutes or so, until foamy and golden brown. This simple step intensifies the flavor of the butter and adds caramely, nutty notes.

Step 2: Make the Cake Batter. Beat together eggs and sugar. Whisk in the oil, sour cream, & vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and fold in with a silicone spatula until the flour mixture is halfway incorporated, then mix in the milk & grated zucchini.

Step 3: Bake the Cake. Transfer the batter to the prepared 9-inch baking pan. Bake your cake as directed in the recipe below. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

(Spray your rack with a little nonstick spray – the top of this cake is moist and will stick to the rack as I found out, heh!)

Step 4: Make Frosting. Beat together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, and mix until creamy. If it’s not coming together, add 1-2 tsp of milk. Taste, and add a pinch of salt and or cinnamon to taste (don’t skip these flavor makers!).

Step 5: Frost the Cake. Spread the frosting onto your cooled cake. Pile the frosting in the center of the cake. Then, use an offset spatula to push it out towards the edges of the cake.

But, don’t break through the edges of the frosting – keeping those intact will create that beautiful, pillowy look. Sprinkle crushed pecans or walnuts on top for decoration, if desired. You can also peel ribbons of zucchini and roll them up for fun.

Serving + Storing:

Serve with cold milk or hot coffee – whichever you prefer, they’re both wonderful with this moist zucchini cake. Store the cake in an airtight container, and keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Set it on the counter and bring to room temperature before serving.

Expert Baking Tips:

• Zucchini – Weigh your zucchini out to make sure you’re adding the correct amount! Be sure to finely grate it on your box grater – most of them have larger holes on one side and smaller holes on the other – use the smaller size.
• Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
• Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.

FAQs:

Special Tools:

• 9-Inch Pan – Use a metal 9-inch pan. You can also use a 9-inch round pan. The important thing is to use a metal pan as it conducts heat much better than ceramic or glass and will give you the most even bake.
• Food Processor – Use the grating attachment that came with your food processor to quickly shred your zucchini! It makes grating any vegetable (or even blocks of cheese!) a total breeze.

More Zucchini Recipes to Love:

• Zucchini Bread Pancakes
• Zucchini Bread with Honey Butter
• Roasted Zucchini, Corn, & Tomato Flatbread Pizza

More Snack Cake Recipes to Love:

• Mini Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
• Caramel Apple Crumb Cake
• Gluten-Free Banana Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
• Ultra Plush Lemon Loaf Cake

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