Fresh zucchini, grated ginger, a combination of warm baking spices, and a cool cream cheese frosting dotted with vanilla bean make this Zucchini Ginger Spice Cake a fresh and spicy treat that is officially my husband’s favorite cake of all time!

This scrumptious cake creation came to me a couple of nights ago when Grant was ready for a “new cake that wasn’t too heavy”. When he asks, I deliver! I wanted a cake that was vegetable-forward, light and bright, had an invigorating flavor enveloped with warm spice then topped in a cool and creamy frosting.

This Zucchini Ginger Spice Cake is easy, quick to make, and will make you sigh in delight after just one bite. There is cake that you sit back and relax with after dinner and then there is cake you sneak bites of all day because you just can’t stay away from it. This is a cake of the second category, and will be gone within 24 hours! The good news, it’s filled with shredded green zucchini and freshly grated ginger, so indulge! An added bonus, even the veggie shy will relish every bite!

This blog post goes along with the step-by-step video demonstration found on YouTube. Check it out here!YouTube Recipe Demonstration

Spice it up!

My favorite baking spices of my childhood are Ceylon Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Nutmeg. Ceylon Cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka, and is often hailed as “true cinnamon”! Cardamom is a highly aromatic spice, which lends fragrance and a spicy warmth. Nutmeg adds a sweetness that ties this spice combination together beautifully. The combination of these spices will enhance any dish from savory to sweet, and you will be amazed at the unique notes and flavors they will bring. To learn more on these spices, take a look at The Holiday Baking Spices.

Let’s Bake!

Zucchini is a versatile squash that is available year round. I love the mild flavor and bright, green beauty it has. Zucchini is a great blank canvas to allow your culinary creativity to shine through.

Anytime you bake with a wet vegetable like zucchini, you want to drain all of that excess moisture out.

The best tool for shredded zucchini is a Box Grater, like the one in that link. I used this for shredding the zucchini and grating the ginger.

A heaping Tablespoon is all you need of fresh ginger to add some zest and zing to this Zucchini and Ginger Spice cake!

One of the time saving aspects of this recipe is that there is no creaming or separating egg whites, which makes this cake easy and breezy! And it’s pretty beautiful too! The method is similar to pancakes and cornbread, where you melt butter and fold it in after you’ve already mixed your wet and dry ingredients. OR if you use oil, mix it with your wet ingredients – see bottom recipe for notes.

This cake takes only about 25 minutes to bake until golden. Look at all that zucchini and freshness showing through! The cake is airy and so light.

Here is the underside of the cake so you can see all of the goodness in store. And if you are wondering why you are only getting partial views of this gorgeous zucchini and ginger spice cake, I blame Grant! He ate a section while I was whipping up the cream cheese frosting!

The Frosting

This cream cheese frosting is cool, creamy, not too sweet, and filled with vanilla bean in every luscious bite.

The combination of this Zucchini Ginger Spice Cake with this Cream Cheese Frosting is a match made in dessert heaven. It’s so good!

Zucchini Ginger Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients :

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cardamom

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

1-1.5 cups shredded zucchini, excess moisture drained and squeezed out

1 Tab. freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup Olive or canola oil (or melted butter slightly cooled)

1/2 c. whole milk

1 egg

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 Tab. butter, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla bean paste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8×8 round cake pan,

Shred 2 cups of zucchini and drain then squeeze out excess moisture.

Grate 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger

In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients: flour, salt, spices, baking powder & sugars. Mix and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with oil. Then add vanilla extract and whole milk. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated before adding in the zucchini and ginger.

Spread into a buttered 8×8 round cake pan and bake for approx. 22-28 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean and cake is springy to the touch.

Let cool.

Make frosting: With a hand mixer, combine butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste until whipped.

Spread onto cake and enjoy!

For step-by-step video demonstration, check out the Zucchini Ginger Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe demonstration here – YouTube Recipe Demonstration

Notes:

For added zing, add a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger to your frosting.

If you add closer to 2 cups of zucchini, this will lighten up the spice of your cake.

Want a bigger batch? This recipe is easily doubled.

Make this delicious vegetable-forward treat into cupcakes for a school snack that all parents and teachers will be as excited about as the kids eating them up!

Interested in helpful tools for this recipe?







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