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“It was everything you (and several comments) promised! Iโve passed it on to my sisters, whoโve 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.ย USA makes a whole line of bakewareย 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.ย 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
I wouldnโt change a single thing about this recipe. It is absolutely perfect!! After reviewing others comments, I decided to keep the cake in the refrigerator as well and I loved serving it that way. So delicious. One of my new favorite recipes. Thanks so much Sue!
I really love this recipe. I was wondering if anyone has made this recipe as cupcakes. If so, how many cupcakes and which size cupcake did you make? What temp/time did you use.
I’ve made a similar muffin recipe here
I used the recipe for muffins. It made 21.
I baked this cake today. It turned out really good. I used avocado oil instead of vegetable oil and I used less sugar. Thanks.
I prepared and baked this today. I used olive oil, almond flour and monk fruit sweetener. Please tell me what went wrong because I ended up with an oily mess that has to be thrown out.
Hi Laverne ~ baking is such an exact science, and with this cake the flour, butter, and sugar, are an important part of how the cake comes together. I do have a gluten free zucchini cake made with almond flour, here, and you might try adding blueberries to that recipe for better success.
Do you peel the zuchinni?
No need to!
Is in the oven and smells sooo good! I inadvertently switched the amts for salt and baking soda… hope it comes out ok!! QUESTION…. when I shredded my zucchini there was soooo much water! Do you use that in the mix? I pay it with a paper towel and tried to absorb as much as possible.
My zucchini is generally not too wet, but if yours is, you can drain it, for sure. Zucchini can vary a lot that way.
I once visited Kennebunkport Maine 2016 while there we went into a small “general store” in town. There they had this wonderful blueberry zucchini snake cake! It was amazing and the best thing I’ve ever eaten! Since then I have dreamed of this cake. This is it!!! This is exactly what it was. I found this recipe a few years ago and I am so glad I did. The recipe is perfect, my whole family loves it, every time I make it, the cake gets rave reviews. This cake makes me think of Maine every time! Thank you so much for sharing.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they got the recipe here Heather! It happens all the time.
I made this today. I am out of oil, so replaced it with 3/4 cup of Greek yogurt. The cake is very dense, more loaf like than cake, but I like it! The yogurt added some great protein too! I did make the icing, also subbed out half the butter for Greek yogurt. Made it very light. I think the tang may have masked some of the lemon flavour, but I had some lemon oil in the cupboard, so I used it. This “loaf” is very good and really needs no icing. But I love the lemon flavour, so if I make again, I think I would skip the icing, but add lemon zest to the batter. Thanks for a keeper recipe!
i made this recipe tonight for my #karaoketin. i made a recipe and a half and which filled 3 8×8 square pans. Delicious. i’m diabetic, so i just had a tiny piece. a huge bite, really. Lol. i just couldn’t help myself, it looked and smeled soooooo good. i’m sure all of my friends at Karaoke tonight will enjoy it as well. Thanks for a great recipe!
Have you ever made this recipe as cupcakes? If so, what temp and for how long?
I haven’t but I think other commenters have. I would cook them at 350F and check them at 15 minutes.