“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.
tvfgi recommends: USA Baking Pans
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
LOOKS SO GOOD , BUT DO YOU THINK I COULD USE CAN BLUEBERRIES .T Y
Fresh is definitely best here, Paula, but if you wanted to use canned I would drain them well.
This is on my to do list for tomorrow 🙂 lol silly question – how did you shred your zucchini? Would a grater work?
I used my grater, Annie — enjoy!
Perfect! Thank you! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Do you peel it first?
No need to peel the zucchini, Angela!
Thanks for the shout out and including my low carb version. Seeing a nice bit of traffic from you. Yours looks fab too!
Thanks Carolyn — it’s the cake that keeps on giving 😉
Can I use coconut oil? Instead of vegetable
Sure. The only thing you have to be careful about is making sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. if your ingredients are cold the coconut oil will solidify.
Any suggestions for a gluten free version?
I provided a link in the notes after the recipe, Peggy, it’s here: http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2015/08/low-carb-blueberry-zucchini-cake-with-lemon-frosting.html
Do any adjustments need to be made to the low carb version if baked in a 13X9 pan instead of 2 cake pans?
I haven’t tried that Sanna, so I’m not sure. But I think you should watch the cooking time, it could be a little longer.
I only see replies where is the recipe
The link to the gluten free recipe is here, Karen: http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2015/08/low-carb-blueberry-zucchini-cake-with-lemon-frosting.html
Click the “Read more” box under the picture of the cake.
Can frozen zucchini be used?
I really think fresh is best here, Barb. Frozen shredded zucchini would be very watery…
Just drain the thawed frozen zucchini and it will work.
Barb, I always freeze some zucchini for winter months and use it to make bread. I can’t tell any difference in the fresh vs. the frozen.
I added a package of cream cheese instead of 1 cup of the C. Sugar for the icing. It turned out great!
what size pkg cream cheese
Great idea. I’m going to do that. Making mine today.
Let us know what you think, Joyce.
Do you think I could make it into loaves? If so, how many? 2? What about cooking time?
Woukd this make 2 round cakes do you could make a layer cake? If so, what would the cooking time be? Thx, can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Check the link to the inspiration recipe, Lisa, that was a layer cake. Here it is: http://iambaker.net/blueberry-zucchini-cake-with-lemon-buttercream/
The original recipe is from Allrecipes listed under Blueberry Zucchini Bread and states : “Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.” I’ve made this many times using Allrecipes recipe and just recently found this version with the frosting.
Try yellow zucchini to fool those I hate z. Haters! If. Only had some wild Maine berries here.
Oh wild Maine blueberries are THE BEST!
ps — I also added lemon zest to the frosting which I highly recommend!
Was entranced by the pic of this cake when it was posted on FB and finally made it. I halved the recipe using an 8 x 8 square pan, a bit tricky using 3 eggs, but not impossible. I kept an eye on the baking time and it was done a good 10 minutes or so earlier than the original recipe. I also used half whole wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose; I typically use more all-purpose than ww and I think maybe it was a bit too whole wheaty-but using your suggestion to eat it cold took care of that (since the ww flavor was more subtle). I also cut the sugar a bit. Really delicious!
Thanks so much Yael — I love it when readers come back and share their tips, and it’s good to know this can be halved 🙂
Any other flour substitution tips besides whole wheat. Other ingredients & subs are so healthy. Maybe something organic?