A well-made zucchini cake should be ‘pleasantly sweet,’ decadently moist, and solid without losing its cakey delicateness. It should also leave you feeling satisfied, while satiating your sweet tooth, but without overwhelming you with sugar. And that, in my opinion, is exactly what today’s zucchini cake achieves.
Prepared with fresh orange zest and dark chocolate chips, and topped with a homemade glaze, today’s Zucchini Orange Cake is a dessert that the entire family can appreciate. Now, without further delay, let’s dive right in.
Why You’ll Love This Zucchini Cake
- It keeps beautifully. If you make this on the weekend, you can enjoy it throughout the week. It keeps beautifully, remaining moist and delicious for days.
- A Satisfying Dessert. My brother is fond of saying “A dessert should taste like a dessert,” and today’s zucchini cake is no exception to that sentiment. Today’s zucchini cake is ‘pleasantly sweet,’ moist, and satisfying – the way a ‘real’ dessert should be.
- Zucchini cake Without the ‘Veggie Taste.’ To the above point, I’m no fan of ‘healthier for you’ desserts where the ‘veggie flavor’ of the ‘healthy’ ingredients are front and center. In today’s zucchini cake, the zucchini is a ‘pleasant base’ rather than the dominating flavor.
- Only Basic Ingredients. Today we’re using no exotic or hard to find ingredients to bring today’s zucchini cake together. Everything going into today’s cake is ‘pantry friendly’ and available at your local grocery store.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Zucchini and Cucumbers. Given their similar appearance, new home-cooks might be tempted to believe that zucchinis and cucumbers are similar or even interchangeable. However, the difference between these two items could hardly be more pronounced. On the exterior, zucchinis are dry to the touch with a rough skin, whereas cucumbers tend to be ‘cold’ and smooth, or sometimes waxy. On tasting, raw zucchini tends to be rather unpalatable due to its dryness and mildly bitter-yet-vaguely-sweet taste, with a texture that’s often described as ‘dry and spongey.’ These qualities make the zucchini ideal for cooked recipes, particularly frying and baking – think zucchini frites, fried zucchini sticks, and stir-fried zucchini strips. By contrast, the moist and crisp interior of a cucumber, coupled with its ‘cooling’ flavor, makes them the perfect ‘stick’ veggie for eating raw, or being paired with dips, or slicing into salads.
- The ‘Plain’ Yogurt. I’m using ‘regular’ yogurt today as opposed to Greek yogurt. This is for two reasons. First and foremost, I don’t want the ‘bitter’ taste of Greek yogurt in today’s cake. Second, I want the added moisture of thinner ‘regular’ yogurt.
- The Walnuts. The reason we’re using walnuts is because they don’t overwhelm the cake’s moist texture with ‘crunch’ or ‘bite.’ However, this is purely a matter of a preference.
- Substitutes: Almonds or pecans will pair nicely in today’s cake if you don’t have walnuts. However, the almonds will be noticeably crunchier, while the pecans will change the flavor profile ever so slightly – but not unpleasantly so.
More Zucchini Goodness from Living the Gourmet
- Zucchini Fettucine. One of my favorite uses for zucchini is pan frying it and then setting it over pasta.
- Fried Zucchini Blossoms. This are one of my absolute favorite recipes – full stop. Light, airy, and crisp on the outside, if you can find zucchini blossoms (I grow my own during the summer months), these are a true treat. Paired with fresh basil and tomatoes over pasta, this one of my favorite recipes.
- Zucchini Lasagna. Lasagna made from zucchini strips is one of my preferred ‘twists’ on the beloved classic. Perfect for making ahead, this is a veggie-based meal the entire family will love.
Zucchini Orange Cake
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup walnuts - chopped fine
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup cooking oil
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
- 2 tbs. orange zest
- 1/2 cup dried craisins or raisins - chopped
- Butter for greasing the pan
For the Glaze:
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup walnuts - chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
- Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl combine the shredded zucchini, cooking oil, orange zest, eggs, plain yogurt, sugar, vanilla and eggs and mix.
- Add the chopped nuts, craisins and chocolate chips to the wet ingredients and stir.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.
- Generously, butter a tube pan.
- Place the batter into the pan.
- Bake 45 – 50 minutes or until the toothpick test comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool a bit then carefully remove from the pan.
- Prepare the glaze and pour over the cake.
- Refrigerate the cake when storing.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10 pieces of cake
Recipe Card powered by
And that is our recipe for Zucchini Orange Cake. If you enjoyed this recipe, or have any questions or suggestions, be sure to let us know in the comments below. We always love hearing from you!
Happy Baking!
5
angiesrecipes says
This looks droolicious with perfect combo of flavours and texture! I would love a slice for my afternoon tea 🙂
Catherine Pappas says
Dear Angie, Thank you. I wish I could have tea and a slice of cake with you. xoxo
DAVID J MYERS says
Catherine, To me cakes are all about their eye appeal, distinctive sweet flavor without being over the top and a good cake has to be moist. This zucchini orange cake fills the bill for sure! Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Catherine Pappas says
Oh, thank you Dave. I hope that you are feeling better and give my best to Laurie. Stay safe and well too.
Cindy B says
Ooh this sounds so yummy! Thanks for sharing! I have a ton of zuchinni out of the garden this year and have been trying to find new things to cook with it! Will def be trying out this orange cake! Yum!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Cindy. I hope that you enjoy it if you do give it a try. Have a wonderful day Cindy. xo
Gloria says
I love bundt cake recipes. Perfect for dessert, and on the weekend brunch menu too. I would love a slice with a cup of coffee for breakfast too.
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you for visiting Gloria. I would love to share a slice with a good cup of coffee, it does go together well. Have a beautiful day. xo
Talya. says
I love anything with zucchini in it and thinks sounds like a great combination. It looks so yummy!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Talya. I love zucchini too. This does make a nice moist cake. Have a wonderful day.
xo
Knashz says
Zucchini cake! How delightful! I'd love to try this out some time honestly looks scrumptious.
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you. I hope that you enjoy this recipe if you do give it a try. Have a wonderful day. xo
Lisa says
I’ve never tried zucchini and orange together, but I’m keen to give it a try. It looks delicious!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you for visiting Lisa. It does go together well. I hope that you enjoy the recipe if you do give it a try. xo
Sue-Tanya Mchorgh says
Never had Zucchini cake before. I would love to try it out.
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you for visiting. I hope that you enjoy this cake if you do give it a try. Have a wonderful day. xo
Melanie williams says
Can you stop making me hungry, as this cake looks absolutely amazing. So yummy and I bet is is nice a soft too. I may have to try this out xx
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you for your kind words Melanie. It is a very nice moist cake. I hope that you enjoy this if you give it a try. Have a wonderful day. xo
Sarah says
I made this recipe way back in 2021 and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, i searched for hours this week trying to find it. This is the most delicious zuchini cake, soft and tangy but sweet. I always leave out the raisins and add pecans instead of walnuts but this is by far my favourite zuchini cake recipe. So happy I found it again.
Dan "Jay" Reyes says
Looks yummy! I haven't tasted this cake flavor. Thank you for sharing the recipe 🙂
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Dan. Have a wonderful day.
Jasmine Hewitt says
i've never tried orange and zucchini together. but this looks divine!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you for your nice words Jasmine. Have a wonderful day. xo
Yvette says
I’ve never had zucchini cake before. So going to try your recipe 😋
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you for visiting Yvette. I hope that you enjoy this recipe if you do decide to give it a try. Have a wonderful day. xo
Heidy says
Wow, this Zucchini Orange Cake was amazing! I made this and took it to my friend's house for card night and everyone raved about how good it was. I was blushing at the fact it drew so much attention! I will be saving this recipe and making it again.
Looking forward to seeing your next recipe!
Heidy Linn
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Heidy for your kind words and I am so pleased that all enjoyed this cake. It is so heartwarming to know that you liked my recipe. Thank you for letting me know, it truly makes my day. Have a wonderful day Heidy. xo
Aleta says
Okay, now you've got me hungry! this Zucchini Orange Cake looks incredibly delicious! I am so happy to find a recipe where I can use up my homegrown zucchinis - I had a lot this year - and am going to make it with the craisins!
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you for visiting Aleta. This would work just fine with craisins. I hope that you enjoy this recipe if you give it a try. Have a beautiful day. xo
Amanda says
I'm so pleased with how this zucchini cake turned out! The orange glaze gave it the perfect finishing touch, and it was so perfectly moist.
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Amanda and thank you so very much for letting me know that you tried this recipe and enjoyed it. It truly warms my heart. Have a wonderful day. xo
Debra says
Love the "dessert should taste like dessert" comment. Totally true...and especially on this one....which is why it's called zucchini cake and not zucchini bread. True to its name, cake, it tasted great with my evening tea. I'll definitely be making this again. YUM.
Catherine Pappas says
Dear Debra, Thank you so very much for letting me that you enjoyed this cake. It makes my heart sing. Thank you for visiting and taking the time to write. I wish you a beautiful weekend ahead. xo
Jenny says
Your zucchini orange cake is glorious. It looks absolutely scrumptious and inviting. In fact it is inviting me to make it this weekend! Thank you so much for this great recipe, it will be come our favorite cake, I am sure of it.
Catherine Pappas says
Thank you Jenny for visiting. I do hope that you enjoy this recipe if you give it a try. Have a beautiful weekend. xo
Paula Montenegro says
You've taken the zucchini cake to a new level! I never would've thought of adding chocolate chips and orange and now I can't wait to try this recipe. The moistness comes through in the photos, gorgeous! The 'don't mistake zucchini with cucumbers' cracked me up lol, can you imagine?! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Denise says
Your Zucchini Orange Cake is making my mouth water just looking at the photos! I can't wait to give your recipe a try.
Kushigalu says
Zucchini and orange sounds like interesting combo. The texture looks amazing. I will be making this soon. Yum!!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I made this over the weekend and loved everything about it! But, my favorite part is the glaze. I want to drizzle over everything!
Tracy Dupuis says
Absolutely my favorite cake so far. I’ve made it as a bunt pan cake and or as 2 loaf pans. Freezes great. Frost and freeze before covering it in a ziplock bag and when ready to use take out of freezer and remove ziplock bag while frozen and put in a container that won’t touch the top.