Photographer: John Paul Urizar. Stylist: Michele Cranston.
Julie Goodwin’s rich zucchini cake is spiced with warm cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom and topped with luscious cream cheese icing.
Unsure about zucchini in a cake? Don’t be! The moist texture and mild flavour of zucchini is the perfect addition to this sweet spiced cake.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line the base and side of a 25cm round cake pan.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, bicarb soda, spices and mix well with a wire whisk. Stir through the zucchini and walnuts. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, oil, syrup, eggs and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined.
Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
CREAM CHEESE ICING Beat the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and add the icing sugar in two batches. Beat until smooth.
Spread cream cheese icing over top of cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Zucchini cake substitutions
- Substitute the zucchini for carrots if you like.
- This cake can also be cooked in a 20cm x 30cm slice pan.
Can you freeze zucchini cake?
Yes, you can! To freeze this zucchini cake, wrap the cake or slice tightly in plastic wrap followed by foil, or place it in an airtight freezer-safe container. Store it in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Do not microwave this cake as the icing will melt.
This recipe ran in The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2018 and was published online in 2025.
