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“It was everything you (and several comments) promised! I’ve passed it on to my sisters, who’ve become your followers, too, just because of this cake (and its frosting)!” ~Nancy
blueberry zucchini cake is a feast for the senses
You might have seen I am Baker’s cake around, it’s a stunner. Amanda’s blueberry zucchini cake is a gorgeous 2 layers, fit for a celebration, but in true tvfgi style, I turned it into a casual blueberry zucchini sheet cake. No less scrumptious, just a little more user friendly. Eat it with your hands, in your lap, off a paper napkin, whateves, but definitely try it, it’s absolutely delish.
what you’ll need
- eggs
- vegetable oil
- vanilla extract
- granulated and confectioner’s sugar
- shredded zucchini
- all purpose flour
- salt, baking powder, and baking soda
- blueberries
- butter
- fresh lemon juice
best pan for a blueberry zucchini cake
Instead of using round cake pans, I baked the batter in my 9×13 USA pan, I love it, it’s got a wonderful heft to it, and cooks nice and evenly. I don’t like to bake in glass if I can avoid it because it tends to cook hot, and the edges can get overdone. I used this pan to bake my favorite Pecan Praline Pumpkin Cake and my Brown Sugar Peach Cake, too, and I’m always thrilled with the results.
BAKING TIP: Converting a layer cake to a 9×13 pan is easy — since the depth of the batter will be comparable, there are no changes necessary except to watch the baking time carefully. It will probably take a little longer in the 9×13 pan, so check with a toothpick to be sure.
how to make a blueberry zucchini cake
- Whisk the wet ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, then fold in the shredded zucchini.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a small bowl and then fold into the wet ingredients, just enough to combine.
- Fold in the blueberries and bake.
- The batter is luxurious and silky — and since it uses oil in place of butter it’s super easy to throw together. I made sure to rearrange my blueberries after filling the pan so they would be evenly distributed throughout the cake.
the lemon buttercream is the icing on the cake!
This blueberry zucchini cake is moist, dense, and delicious, but I think it’s the lemon buttercream that has my taste buds doing a jig. I love it, so I made sure to lay it on nice and thick.
BAKING TIP: I blended the lemon buttercream up in my food processor (fitted with the metal blade) rather than using my electric hand beaters like I usually do, and I loved the result. It was easier, less messy, and the frosting came out super smooth and creamy. It’s my go to method from now on.
I love my USA 9×13 pan, it’s sturdy, nonstick, and has a great solid feel to it. USA pans have no bells and whistles, they’re just good quality, durable cookware. My cakes cook up more evenly in this aluminized steel, with no overcooked edges like I sometimes get with glass. USA makes a whole line of bakeware and I’m slowly replacing all my pans. Plus, they’re made in the USA!
Blueberry Zucchini Cake with Lemon Buttercream
Video
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 pint blueberries, tossed in 1 tsp flour
lemon buttercream
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Lightly grease and flour a 9×13 baking pan.
- Beat the eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar until well blended. Fold in the zucchini.
- Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to combine. Slowly add it to the wet mixture, mixing just enough to blend.
- Fold in the blueberries, and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes, just until the top is turning golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. Cool on a rack.
- To make the frosting, put the softened butter into the bowl of a food processor and process until creamy. Add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, processing till smooth after each addition. After the second cup of sugar add in the lemon juice. Scrape down the sides of the machine as necessary. Adjust the texture by adding a little more lemon or a little more sugar.
- Frost the cooled cake and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Reader Lillia reports in the comments below that this cake can easily be made gluten free using King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour.
- I felt that this blueberry zucchini snack cake was at its best chilled, so I kept ours in the refrigerator. The frosting is butter-rich, so especially in warm weather this makes sense, and the texture of the chilled frosting is out of this world.
- For all your chocoholics out there, you really need to check out my Cold Chocolate Snacking Cake ~ it’s meant to be eaten straight from the fridge, and I guarantee you won’t be able to control yourself around it
Nutrition
Hi. I’ve made this cake and it came out delicious!!! My husband who doesn’t usually eat cake asked me when am I making it again?! He was wondering also if this can be converted to a breakfast muffin. Would there be any chance in anything if so? Thanks for the great recipe!!
I’m sure it can be baked into muffins, check through the comments, I’m pretty sure people have done that. The change would just be in the baking time, so check them at 15 minutes and go from there.
This is my daughters’ favourite cake. I usually make it up as cupcakes— the icing makes a beautiful top and the children love the ease. Thanks for a great recipe!
I bet your cupcakes are adorable!
Love this recipe! I have made it twice and such a hit with my family. My 8 month old daughter and one year old niece love it too! I will be adding it to my recipe book! Thank you!
Thanks for coming back to give your feedback Lea, I appreciate it!
Great recipe. Always a huge hit! My sister made it with GF flour and it came out fantastic as well. Very rich, the frosting is DELICIOUS but if you’re feeling lazy the cake is also fantastic just dusted with a little powdered sugar.
Thanks Molly, it’s great to hear about gluten free adaptations 🙂
Hi Sue! I love anything with blueberries and lemon and this cake looks amazing! I don’t have any all purpose flour on hand, but I have cake flour. Do you think I could substitute it for the all purpose flour? Thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to try it.
Definitely, I love cake flour and when I have it on hand I’ll substitute it in a lot of my cakes.
I love blueberry and zucchini season because I love this cake , This is my 6th time making this cake..I wanna try smaller cupcakes this time because I am taking to a party. But not the bite size.. I am not going to fill the muffin cup as much as I would a normal cupcake. How long in the oven at 350
Cupcakes usually take about 15 minutes, but keep an eye on them.
Hello, I have made this cake twice now and really enjoy it. However, if the recipe is made according to the instructions, the batter is incredibly thick, more like a cookie dough. I have to add about 1 cup of milk to make a cake batter that the blueberries and zucchini can be added to. Just wondering if anyone has experienced this. Best regards.
Hi David, I had the same problem and did not thin it out. I loved the taste, but it was very crusty on the top. I’ll try the milk next time.
Might be a dumb question but do you peel the zucchini’s before you shred them?
Hey Jackie, not dumb at all, lots of people wonder, but no, I don’t peel my zucchini, the peel is healthy and adds color. I never peel my zucchini, in fact, for any recipe.
I made this and it was a hit! So good!! I didn’t have lemons on hand so I used limes instead and sprinkled a little lime zest on top and the green looked so pretty with the green of the zucchini in the cake. Can’t wait to make it again!
Yummy!! Five stars for you. Thanks for sharing.
I wish it had serving size as my friend is a dibeatic.