Apple Walnut Zucchini Cake ~ if you could pack late summer/early fall into a bundt pan and bake it up, this is what you’d get ~ a moist cake loaded with shredded zucchini, crunchy walnuts, and chunks of tart Granny Smith apple. A sweet nutmeg glaze finishes it off.
I don’t know about you but when I start to crave fall and it’s still a month or more away I start to bake in an effort to will it into existence. Kind of like doing a little rain dance to bring on the cooler weather. The downside is that this doesn’t usually work. The upside is you get some pretty nice things to snack on while you wait for the temps to drop, like this apple walnut zucchini cake!
Apples, walnuts, zucchini, some pantry staples and a bundt pan are just about all you need to turn your kitchen into a fall wonderland. You can whip it up in one (big!) bowl, which makes this zucchini cake recipe clean up friendly, too.
Bundt cakes are ideal for brunch or lunch entertaining because they make a pretty presentation and they can serve a crowd.
Tips for apple walnut zucchini cake
- Use a standard sized bundt pan, I used this one from Wilton.
- Prep your pan well. Mine was new, so all I needed was a light spray, but if yours is older, butter it well, and dust with flour.
- If possible, grate your zucchini with the grating blade of your food processor rather than a box grater, because the shreds are bigger, dryer, and show up better in the baked bread.
- Chop your apple into a small dice…I chopped mine a little too big and I didn’t like the random chunks in the cake.
Apple Walnut Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil (you can also use a nut oil (I love walnut oil)
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg, more if you love it
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups all purpose flour, remember to fluff it first, then scoop, then level for an accurate measurement.
- 4 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced (do not peel)
- 1 1/2 cup rough chopped walnuts
glaze
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- milk or cream to thin, several tablespoons
- freshly grated nutmeg
garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F Spray a nonstick bundt pan with cooking spray, or lightly butter and flour the pan, tapping off any excess flour.
- In a very large bowl whisk the eggs, sugar, and oil together. Blend in the spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Fold in the flour, then zucchini, apple, and walnuts. Turn into the bundt pan and smooth out if necessary.
- Bake for 60 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it (moist crumbs are fine.)
- Let cool 10 minutes, then loosen the cake around all edges with a blunt knife, and invert onto a platter or cooling rack. Let cool completely before glazing.
- To make the glaze, whisk the sugar with enough milk or cream to make a pourable glaze. Start with 3 Tbsp and work up from there. Add freshly grated nutmeg to taste.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and top with a dusting of crushed walnuts.
This is delicious! Though I did find that the apples, zucchini, and nuts rose to the top of the bundt pan, so they were all concentrated on the bottom of the cake when it was taken out of its pan. I wonder why! Very tasty, though. Not too sweet, which is perfect for me.
Very good cake! I substituted half of the oil with unsweetened applesauce, it was still very moist and very tasty.
Sue I just made the Apple Walnut Zucchini bread and it is so good. I’m enjoying a big slice with my tea. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Great base recipe! To make it healthier I used 1 cup of sugar instead of 2, cut the oil to 1/2 cup by substituting 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce for the rest, & used 1 cup of white whole wheat flour in place of 1 cup of all purpose. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla, & 1/2 a teaspoon of cardamom for extra flavor. It turned out really moist & yummy. Thank you for sharing this recipe !
Amazing! I used a flax egg to make it vegan and turned them into muffins (cooked about 20-25 min) and they were fantastic!! My husband said they are his new favorite. Thank you!
I made this today and it was delicious. I used 1 1/3 cups of sugar and did not glaze since I made 2 loaves instead.
I bet it’s nice in loaf form 🙂
Can’t wait to try this later. I did some subs to make it healthier. I’ll post the exchanges if it tastes good haha. Thanks for the great pictures and easy to finite directions.