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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
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.
Video
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
This may be the dumbest question ever, but do you remove the seeds from the zucchini? I’ve never made anything using them! Read comments, but didn’t see this addressed. Thank you!
No, I shred the whole zucchini. But I do try to use slender young zucchini as opposed to big ones, because the smaller ones don’t have as many seeds.
Hello~
This cake was amazing. I even got my 21 year old to eat it!!! He is skeptically of anything with a veggie in it!! My husband doesn’t like buttercream so I put a thin layer of lemon curd and cool whip. Thanks for sharing.
Do you squeeze the liquid out of the shredded zucchini? Also 1 tablespoon of vanilla seems like a lot?
Looking forward to trying this out in the next week or so because it’s still blueberry season here
No, no squeezing for this recipe. And feel free to reduce the vanilla, I’m mad about it 😉
Cake was a little heavy. Is that the way it’s supposed to be or did I do something wrong?
It’s partially a zucchini cake, so in that sense it’s a little denser than a cake mix type cake.
You did nothing wrong! In fact the last paragraph before the recipe even says its a dense cake. Think carrot cake..all zucchini cakes/cupcakes I have ever made are quite dense (& quite yummy ?, tho this one is definitely on the top of the list!)
This is absolutely fantastic! Had it ready when, nice and chilled, when hubby got home from out of town this morning. He was the one that sent me the recipe..I actually put 3C zucchini in since that was how much the zuke gave me! And I put a little lemon zest in the buttercream along with the juice..can guarantee I’ll be making this one again!
Cant I just use self raising flour ??
Yes, leave out the leaveners.
Can I use frozen blueberries? If so, should I thaw them first? Thanks!!
Yes, frozen will work fine, and don’t thaw.
Can this be made in a 6qt instant pot with a springform pan??
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say Janet, let us know if you experiment.
I don’t have a food processor, so would I use a blender or hand mixer? Also can I use round cake pans, i would like to give half to my daughter.. 8 or 9 inch? I thought the round pans would be better rather than trying to split the 9×13 cake
Hi Barbara ~ you can use a hand mixer for the frosting, that will be fine, and use 8 inch cake pans, baking for about 35-40 minutes.
I live in Colorado and deal with altitude adjustments constantly as that issue is rarely discussed. I usually add more flour with zucchini in recipes due to high moisture content. My batter has to “feel thick”when I stir in blueberries so my cake doesn’t puddle in the middle. This might help someone else with that problem, even at low altitude. Worth a try! Your recipes are wonderful and I use them all the time. Sara
Thanks Sara, that’s helpful!
Sara this is what I was wondering! I am 6500 feet. Do you think 1/4 extra flour would be enough?