4 Ingredient Zucchini Cake
A soft and moist zucchini cake that only needs 4 ingredients. This zucchini cake is an easy one bowl recipe that can be customized to suit your personal preferences.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (237 g) thinly shredded zucchini, do not drain or remove water, see note before starting
- 1 1/2 cups (295 g) granulated white sugar
- 6 tbsp (84 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 ½ cups + 2 tbsp (339 g) self-rising flour, see note before starting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray and then line with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides for easy removal later.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the zucchini, sugar and melted butter until evenly combined. Add the flour and fold it in with a spatula until flour is completely incorporated. It may seem at first that you have too much flour and not enough wet ingredients, but as you continue to fold, you will see that the flour will continue to be incorporated. Keep folding until the flour is fully mixed into the batter and there are no pockets of unmixed flour and no large flour/starch clumps. Make sure to only use a spatula to mix and not a whisk or beater. The batter will be very thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The surface of the cake should also bounce back if you press on it lightly.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before adding frosting or cutting and serving
Notes
- Zucchini: You want to shred the zucchini very thinly, the thinnest it can be without it breaking apart. I used the second smallest set of holes on my box grater (the smallest is a zest setting). Do not drain any water from the zucchini after you are done shredding. Include it when measuring the zucchini.
- Self-rising flour: This recipe was tested with Gold Medal brand self-rising flour*. There is a varying amount of protein content for different brands of self-rising flour which will affect the texture and outcome of the bread. Gold Medal self-rising flour contains 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup. Please use a brand of self-rising flour with 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup for this bread.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Homemade self-rising flour: If you don't have self-rising flour you can also make homemade self-rising flour. Make sure your all purpose flour has 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup. Most all purpose flours contain 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup but there are some brands that contain higher or lower protein amounts which will affect the recipe.
- Combine 3 cups all purpose flour, 4 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 3/4 tsp salt. Whisk together until evenly combined. Measure 2 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp for the recipe. Save the remaining flour for another recipe.
- This is a basic zucchini cake. If you like cinnamon flavor you can add 1 tsp of cinnamon to the cake. If you like chopped nuts in your zucchini cake, you can stir in 1/4 cup of chopped nuts after the flour is incorporated.
- Optional Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese (brick type), softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- To make the frosting: Add butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until creamy and light. Add vanilla extract and mix in on low speed. Gradually add 3 cups of powdered sugar on low speed until completely combined. Add enough powdered sugar for a thick frosting that is still spreadable over the cake. Start with 3 cups and add more if needed. This recipe makes a generous amount of frosting. You likely won't need it all but I wanted to include enough for those who prefer a very thick layer of frosting.
- For the cake in the photos, we also sprinkled some chopped pistachios.
- Estimated nutrition does not include optional frosting.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 227kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Sodium: 293mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 24g, NET CARBS: 43
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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