Supremely moist and fluffy zucchini cake spiced with cinnamon, loaded with toasted walnuts, and slathered in a rich and creamy maple-kissed cream cheese frosting!

Although zucchini cake doesn’t sound like the most enticing dessert, don’t let the name fool you. Just because it contains a green veggie, doesn’t mean it tastes anything like zucchini. On the contrary, it’s delightfully spiced with cinnamon, flavored with the warm sweetness of brown sugar, and every bite is scrumptiously soft and moist. Not to mention, it’s usually topped with a deliciously tangy cream cheese frosting. To me, it’s kind of like carrot cake’s cousin.

So now that I’ve hopefully convinced you that zucchini cake is actually quite marvelous, allow me to introduce you to this delectable little number…

If there was ever a zucchini cake recipe you needed to try, this would definitely be it! Not only is it infused with the perfect balance of cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar, but it’s fluffy, moist, and exquisitely tender. It’s also loaded with toasted walnuts and slathered in a luscious cloak of maple cream cheese frosting.

As I mentioned earlier, THIS zucchini cake is the one to try. And if you still aren’t quite sure, well let me see if I can persuade you…

It’s a Quick and Easy One-Bowl Recipe!

That’s right! All of the cake ingredients get whipped up in one bowl, which means less dishes to clean! Yay! The batter comes together in less than 10 minutes, and it honestly couldn’t be any easier to make. Just combine the wet ingredients, stir in the dry ingredients, and fold in the walnuts. Easy peasy, zucchini squeezy! (Isn’t that how the saying goes?)

Perfectly Moist Without Tons of Oil!

Unlike most zucchini cake recipes, this one isn’t teeming with oil. In fact, this cake contains about half as much oil as other recipes. Only 1/4 cup of oil is needed to achieve that nice moist crumb, since plenty of moisture is provided by the zucchini and sour cream. No greasy zucchini cake here!

Plenty of Zucchini, But You Won’t Taste It!

This cake contains 1.5 cups of shredded zucchini, which is more than most zucchini cake recipes. The crazy thing is you can’t even taste it! It also melts so incredibly well into the batter as it bakes, eliminating any chance of stringiness.

To grate the zucchini, just use a standard cheese grater or a box grater. Although some might prefer a finer grate, I’ve found that this isn’t really necessary since the zucchini blends into the cake regardless of how fine it is. There’s no need to peel the zucchini since there’s no taste or texture variance either way. There will be little flecks of green throughout, but that’s the only difference.

Toasted Walnuts Are EVERYTHING.

I’m not sure if zucchini cake is traditionally made with walnuts, but to me, it just seemed like an obvious addition. Walnuts go so well in cinnamon-spiced baked goods, whether it’s coffee cake, apple strudel, or banana bread. They add a nice crunch and extra flavor. However, walnuts haven’t reached their full flavor potential until they’ve been toasted, so make sure to toast them BEFORE folding them into the batter.

To toast the walnuts, scatter them evenly onto a rimmed baking sheet, and pop them into a preheated 350ºF oven. Bake until the walnuts begin to brown and become aromatic, making sure to toss halfway through. This should take 7-10 minutes.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting…Need I Say More??

Typically, zucchini cake is frosted with cream cheese frosting. However, I’m not your typical kinda girl! So with fall just around the corner, I decided to add just a little bit of maple sweetness to the cream cheese frosting.

Just like the cake, the frosting is super duper easy to make. Just beat some butter, cream cheese, and a pinch of salt together on high until smooth and creamy. Then add the powdered sugar, beating until creamy. Finally, add the maple syrup and vanilla, and beat everything together until completely incorporated. Oh, and make sure to use REAL maple syrup–none of that “pancake” or “flapjack” syrup. You only need one tablespoon of maple syrup, but it makes a world of a difference in flavor, so don’t skip it!

Can I Double the Recipe?

Yes! Yes, you can! In fact, I regret not doubling it myself. This cake was gone the day I made it!

To double the recipe, all you have to do is double the ingredients. Pour the batter into a greased 9-13 inch glass dish or baking pan, and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. At the 30-minute mark, loosely tent the cake with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.