Gluten-Free Zucchini Cake With Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
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Our easy gluten-free zucchini cake gets delicious flavor from warm spices, vanilla & a gorgeous brown butter cream cheese frosting you’ll LOVE.
It’s that time again! Grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and gardens are overflowing with zucchini! This it the time of year I love to make all our favorite zucchini recipes, and after last year’s popular Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake, I knew I needed to make a classic gluten-free zucchini cake recipe to share.
This is the one you’ve been waiting for!
Fluffy, plush, and ultra moist, this easy zucchini cake gets flavor from warm spices, vanilla, and a magical frosting that’ll keep you coming back for more. It’s easy enough for beginners and baked in a sheet pan, which means it’s also perfect for feeding a crowd!
This zucchini cake makes a delicious summer dessert to serve at parties, BBQs, and get-togethers. Not only is it a great recipe to make the most of a favorite summer veggie, it’s starts with simple ingredients…
Simple Ingredients To Get Started
This recipe is a riff on our Gluten-Free Carrot Cake, so if the ingredients look familiar, it’s because they are! Let’s take a look:
- Gluten-Free Flour. To keep things simple, we recommend a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend. We highly recommend this one from King Arthur, but if you use another brand, be sure to measure carefully, using a scale or the scoop and level method to avoid packing extra flour into the cake.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder. Make sure yours are fresh with these quick tricks!
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Salt. Warm spices and salt add beautiful flavor to this gluten-free cake.
- Vegetable Oil. Using a neutral oil like vegetable oil or canola oil makes this gluten-free zucchini cake extra moist & plush. We don’t recommend substituting butter here since it will be more dry than using oil. (We also don’t recommend coconut oil, since it will impact the flavor of the cake.)
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar. We love this mix of sugars to sweeten the cake!
- Eggs. To bind and puff.
- Unsweetened Applesauce. Just like in our carrot cake, adding applesauce adds a subtle layer of sweetness and keeps the cake moist.
- Vanilla. Always!
- Grated Zucchini. Shredded Zucchini adds moisture to the cake. No need to peel the zucchini squeeze out the extra liquid here–we’ve accounted for it in the balance of wet and dry ingredients!
- Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting. A variation on our classic cream cheese frosting, this frosting recipe combines brown butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Browning the butter first adds caramel & toffee notes, which are gorgeous with the vanilla and spices in the cake.
How To Make Gluten-Free Zucchini Cake, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below!
Start By Baking The cake
- Preheat & Prep. To start, preheat oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 metal baking pan and set aside.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to combine well and set aside.
- Combine Wet Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Add Dry Ingredients To Wet Ingredients and stir until almost fully combined, with just a few dry spots left.
- Mix In Zucchini. Add the grated zucchini and mix until the zucchini is evenly distributed.
- Bake. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth out the surface into an even layer (this will help the cake rise evenly!). Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of th(While the cake is baking, I
- Cool Completely on a wire rack before frosting. (If you try to frost a warm cake, it will melt the frosting.)
Then, Frost & Finish The Cake
- Brown Butter & Chill Till Solid. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the butter begins to foam. (Watch carefully when the butter begins to foam, as it will turn golden and brown quickly.) When the butter under the foam is golden (like honey) and smells sweet with a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat and let the butter cool for a few minutes before transferring to a large mixing bowl. (Make sure to get all those lovely brown bits!) Place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill until the butter has solidified again.
- Beat Butter. When you’re ready to make the frosting, remove the chilled brown butter from the fridge and beat with a hand mixer until it’s smooth and no longer stuck to the bottom of the bowl. (Pause as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl)
- Beat In Cream Cheese. Add softened cream cheese to the butter and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes, or until well blended and smooth. (You don’t want any lumps!)
- Finish Frosting. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt (if using). Mix on low speed 20-30 seconds, until small clusters form, then increase the speed to high and beat 2-3 minutes, or until the frosting is light, smooth, and even.
- Frost Cooled Cake. Add frosting to the cooled zucchini cake and spread into an even layer.
- Serve & Store. Cut cake into slices and enjoy right away or chill leftover cake 2-3 days. We recommend covering the cake well with plastic wrap or an airtight lid to keep the cake moist.
Baking Tricks To Help You
Now that you know the basic technique for this gluten-free zucchini cake recipe, let’s refine it even more with these baking tips:
FAQ + Tricks For The Best Gluten-Free Zucchini Cake
Do I Need To Squeeze The Zucchini Before Making Zucchini Cake? Not in this recipe! There’s no need to peel the zucchini or squeeze out excess moisture before baking. We’ve accounted for it in the recipe!
Can I Use Regular Cream Cheese Frosting? Yes! We’ve got a great classic cream cheese frosting recipe that works well!
Can I Make this In A Different Pan?
One other perk of this delicious zucchini cake recipe? It can be made in different pans to suit your occasion!
- Bundt Cake. You can pour the cake batter into a greased bundt pan (10-cup size works well!). Bake at 350 degrees 50-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs, or the interior reaches 205 degrees F. If the cake starts to brown too quickly, you can loosely tent the pan with foil. Make sure to grease the bundt pan well since this moist cake can stick if your pan has an intricate design!)
- Cupcakes. This gluten-free zuccwill make about 3 dozen cupcakes. Line a muffin pan with parchment liners and fill each cup 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes. Repeat, until all the batter is baked.
- Layer Cake. Grease & line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Pour batter into the prepared cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes. (You’ll likely need to make 1.5 times the frosting to have enough!)
Swaps & Substitutions
- Gluten-Free Flour. We do NOT recommend substituting other flour here–almond flour, oat flour, and coconut flour will all behave differently. Stick with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum for best results.
- Oil. You can use any neutral oil here–vegetable oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil. We don’t recommend substituting butter or vegan butter here since it will be more dry than using oil. We also don’t recommend olive oil or coconut oil, since they can impact the flavor of the cake.
- Applesauce. We recommend unsweetened applesauce here for best results. Other substitutions (like mashed banana or crushed pineapple) will change the flavor of the cake.
- Eggs. I haven’t made this recipe with any egg substitutes, like flax eggs or chia egg. If you need an egg free option, I’d probably start with powdered egg substitutes or flax eggs.
- Frosting. If you prefer classic cream cheese frosting, I recommend our classic Cream Cheese Frosting recipe.
Recipe Card
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Gluten-Free Zucchini Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12–16 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Our easy gluten-free zucchini cake gets delicious flavor from warm spices, vanilla & a gorgeous brown butter cream cheese frosting you’ll LOVE.
Ingredients
Scale
For The Zucchini Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups (300 grams) Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable oil or another neutral oil
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup ( unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated zucchini*
For The Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/4 cup butter, cut into cubes
- 8 ounces (226 grams) full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 2 1/2 cups (300 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (can omit if using salted butter)
Instructions
First, Make The Zucchini Cake
- Preheat & Prep. To start, preheat oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 metal baking pan and set aside.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to combine well and set aside.
- Combine Wet Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Add Dry Ingredients To Wet Ingredients and stir until almost fully combined, with just a few dry spots left.
- Mix In Zucchini. Add the grated zucchini and mix until the zucchini is evenly distributed.
- Bake. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth out the surface into an even layer (this will help the cake rise evenly!). Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. (While the cake is baking, I recommend browning the butter for the frosting. See below!)
- Cool Completely on a wire rack before frosting. (If you try to frost a warm cake, it will melt the frosting.)
Make Frosting & Finish The Cake:
- Brown Butter & Chill Till Solid. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the butter begins to foam. (Watch carefully when the butter begins to foam, as it will turn golden and brown quickly.) When the butter under the foam is golden (like honey) and smells sweet with a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat and let the butter cool for a few minutes before transferring to a large mixing bowl. (Make sure to get all those lovely brown bits!) Place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill until the butter has solidified again.
- Beat Butter. When you’re ready to make the frosting, remove the chilled brown butter from the fridge and beat with a hand mixer until it’s smooth and no longer stuck to the bottom of the bowl. (Pause as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl)
- Beat In Cream Cheese. Add softened cream cheese to the butter and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes, or until well blended and smooth. (You don’t want any lumps!)
- Finish Frosting. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt (if using). Mix on low speed 20-30 seconds, until small clusters form, then increase the speed to high and beat 2-3 minutes, or until the frosting is light, smooth, and even.
- Frost Cooled Cake. Add frosting to the cooled zucchini cake and spread into an even layer.
- Serve & Store. Cut cake into slices and enjoy right away or chill leftover cake 2-3 days. We recommend covering the cake well with plastic wrap or an airtight lid to keep the cake moist.
Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour. We highly recommend King Arthur Measure-For-Measure gluten-free flour blend. If you use another brand, be sure it contains xanthan gum or the texture won’t turn out properly. We always recommend you weigh or scoop and level the flour to avoid packing extra flour into the measuring cups. (Too much flour = dry or gummy cake)
- Zucchini. No need to peel the zucchini or squeeze out excess liquid. We’ve accounted for it in the recipe!
- Food Safety Tips. Since this cake is topped with cream cheese frosting, it should be stored in the refrigerator. Do not keep the cake out of the fridge more than 2 hours at room temperature.
- Other Pan Sizes. See the notes in the blog post for directions for bundt pans, layer cakes, and cupcakes.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Mixer
- Cuisine: American
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This cake is soooo good. I can’t taste the zucchini at all, which is good. It is fluffy and moist! And the frosting is incredible.