“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
I’m not seeing the recipe for this cake. Where do I find it?
Well, it is now showing up. Thank you. I can’t wait to try it.
Awesome,made it today very delish!!! Thanks
I’m so glad you approve Rose 🙂
Do you have a version of this for those whose cholesterol is a problem? Sounds so yummy! Thanks
I made this cake yesterday with blueberries picked from my yard (woodsy area!) and made a couple of tweaks to the recipe. I blogged about it as well! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Can I skip the zucchini, I don’t have any.
If I were you Sandy I would wait until you can get some zucchini to make this cake, it won’t be the same without it.
I have berry allergies. What could I substitute? Dried cherries ? Any other ideas!
You could just leave them out if you like, Lisa.
We’ve been blessed with generous neighbors who garden, & this was a perfect recipe to use some of the zucchini! A new family favorite!
Should I have squeezed the liquid out of the zucchini? I did. Hopefully I didn’t mess it up. If I did, I will just eat the icing. That icing should be it’s own food group. My goodness! That is one of the best things I have ever tasted in my life.
I don’t squeeze my zucchini, Denise, it never seems necessary to me, but that’s just how I do it.
I have a recipient for this exact cake and it says to squeeze the liquid from the zucchini .
You can certainly do that, Kathy, but I found it wasn’t necessary.
I made this today using coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. The extra liquid from the zucchini helped with that. The results were fabulous, thanks for posting this recipe. Took it to the potluck for our community garden meeting and it was a hit!!!
That’s so great to hear, I’m glad it was a hit!
Two things….first do you drain some of the liquid from the shredded zucchini? I did, but now I am not sure that I should have. I guess we will find out if I messed it up after dinner tonight. Second….the icing…OMG OMG OMG (well you get the idea). I could just scoop it in a bowl and eat it. Who needs the cake really? I zested the lemon to make it a bit more lemony. I promised my friend that the next time I make it I will double the icing so we can eat some and still have some for the cake.
I am laughing so hard, and you are so right, let’s just make ourselves a big bowl of the frosting 🙂 As for the zucchini, I don’t ever drain it for recipes, I don’t see the need.
I only have lemon juice- how much for the frosting? Thx!!!
Start with 2 Tablespoons and add more as needed to get a creamy spreadable consistency, Kristin.