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.
I will DEFINATELY have to try! I am curious, why do you leave peel on Apples? Wondering what kind of texture it has in the bread?
Go ahead and peel the apples if that’s what you normally do, I just leave it on because to me it doesn’t make much of a difference. The peel bakes up very soft.
Can the batter be kept in the fridge overnight, or frozen for later use?
I think the batter would be fine overnight in the fridge, and I’ve never frozen batter, so I don’t know about that.
Can you make this in a bread pan? Thank you!!
Sure, I think you could probably get 2 loaves out of it.
Lovely, moist, and delicious looking cake. This is everything I want in my apple cake 🙂
🙂 I’m glad you liked it Muna!
Sue, if I reduced the 2 cups of sugar to 1, would it change the “science” of the recipe or would it still work?
Beautiful website. Thanks for your creations!
I’m not the most informed baking scientist Kathy, but I do know that reducing the sugar by that much would throw off the chemistry…without reconfiguring the whole recipe, I’d say you’d be safe to reduce the sugar by as much as 30% without a problem, so that would be a little over 1/2 cup less. You might add a little more flour to compensate.
Another way to reduce the sugar in this recipe would be to omit the glaze.
Do you know if adding applesauce in place of some of the sugar would work?
I haven’t tried that, but the issue might be that sugar is granular and applesauce is wet, so that might upset the balance of ingredients for baking.
I have a B@B, this will make a great addition to my breakfast table.
Waiting for that cookbook.
It’s perfect for a B&B, I need to make a reservation! I’m working on the latter…;)
This is a fantastic recipe, Sue! I especially love that it’s a harbinger of fall. Those of us in the desert can’t wait for a few cool breezes to come our way – making it reasonable, once again, turn on the oven and bake a beauty like this!
I know the feeling David, bring on the cool breezes!!
Nothing beats a bundt Sue! And I’ve got a few zucchini from my brother-in-law’s garden that will be perfect for this one!
I rediscovered bundts big time this year Mary Ann and now they’re my favorite thing to bake 🙂
That’s one loaded zucchini cake! The texture is perfectly moist and dense..lovely!
Thanks Angie, I did load it up with zucchini, I like to see the green shreds in there when I bake with it, otherwise, what’s the point?
I’m so ready for fall baking and need to start with this gorgeous cake. You really nailed it with this beauty – a terrific combination of flavors and textures. Who could resist a slice or two?
I’m ready for fall all year long…
Can you use butter instead of oil.
I think that should be fine, just melt and cool it before you use.