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An old-fashioned zucchini cake on a silver plate with lemon glaze being drizzled over it.
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4.75 / 4 votes

Old-Fashioned Zucchini Cake

This old-fashioned zucchini cake, made in a Bundt pan with plenty of summer squash, walnuts, and cinnamon, still appeals to a contemporary crowd with its moist crumb and sweet but not-too-sweet glaze inflected with vanilla or lemon.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 to 12 servings
Calories: 687

Ingredients

For the cake

  • Unsalted butter, for the pan
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup mild vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (about 10 oz) grated unpeeled zucchini, patted dry
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup chopped raw walnuts

For the lemon glaze

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, preferably organic

For the vanilla glaze

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, preferably whole
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
US - Metric

Instructions

Make the cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Generously butter a 10-inch (25-cm) Bundt pan.
  • In a large bowl using a stand or handheld mixer or whisk, beat the eggs until light and foamy, about 1 minute.
  • Add the granulated sugar, oil, and vanilla and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute more. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the zucchini and mix well.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and stir until blended. Add the flour mixture to the batter, 1/3 at a time, and mix until incorporated. Stir in the walnuts.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 50 to 65 minutes. Set the pan on a wire cooling rack to cool for 20 minutes.

Make the lemon or vanilla glaze

  • Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl.
    If making the lemon glaze, add the lemon juice. Reserve the zest for sprinkling.
    If making the vanilla glaze, add milk until the desired consistency is reached. Then stir in the vanilla.
  • Whisk the glaze until completely smooth.

Glaze the cake

  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper and place a wire rack on top.
  • Invert the cake onto the wire rack and spoon the glaze (lemon or vanilla) over top, allowing it to run down the sides. If using the lemon glaze, sprinkle the lemon zest it over the glaze.
  • Transfer to a cake plate, slice, and devour.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 687kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 368mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 65g