My husband is a fabulous gardener.  Every year we get get to enjoy the fruits of his labor, and this year is no exception.  We have an abundance of zucchini, and have been eating every day since the picking began!
I would love to share with you three sweet zucchini recipes that we enjoy.
First up, White Zucchini Cake!
Recipe adapted from An Oregon Cottage.
White Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 1/4 c room temperature butter
- 1 c drained mostly dry finely shredded zucchini
- 2/3 c milk I used skim
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 c flour
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp. good quality vanilla
- 2/3 c sugar
- 1/4 c canola oil
- 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8in baking pans.
- In mixer with whisk attachment, combine butter, oil, sugar, vanilla and egg whites. Beat on med for 30 seconds, then on high for 2-4 minutes. You are looking for a light and fluffy sugar mixture.
- In separate bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Alternating as you go, add the flour mixture and milk to sugar mixture. Mix on low to med. until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and add zest and zucchini. Fold in by hand.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 25-30 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Tips for success:
If you want an even more light and airy cake, you can beat your egg whites to a stiff and frothy consistency, then add them in at the end with the zucchini.
My thoughts on this cake were mixed.  The first bite… or that first moment when the cake meets your tastebuds… was not overwhelming.  But as soon as I finished chewing, I wanted another bite.  And then another.  This cake tastes not only sweet, but almost fresh.  Its addicting!
Its definitely a great way to change things up if you often pair zucchini with all things chocolate. Â As I did in adding the chocolate frosting! Â I thought it might overpower the delicate cake, but that didnt end up being the case at all.
*****
Next up to the part is Zucchini Snickers Cookies. Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen.
Zucchini Snickers Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2 -4 chilled Snickers bars
- 1 c drained zucchini finely shredded
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 c flour
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
- 1/3 c honey
- 1/2 c light brown sugar
- 1/2 c room temp butter
- 1/2 c chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In mixer add egg, butter, brown sugar, honey, and vanilla and mix on med. until well combined. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Roughly chop Snickers bars until in small pieces.
- Your zucchini should be one cup after it is drained. (mostly dry) I find that finely shredding up two cups typically yields one cup of drained zucchini.
- With mixer on low, add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in Snickers and zucchini by hand.
- I used a 1/4 cup measuring spoon for the cookies and placed them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for about 12 minutes.
- If you want to drizzle the cookies with chocolate, simply melt chips in a plastic pastry bag in thirty second intervals. After chocolate is melted, cut off tip to the bag and drizzle over cookies.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Tips for success:
This is a big cake like cookie. Its thick and light and subtle. (unless you add four Snickers bars and drizzle with chocoalte, then its just crazy sweet)
In my original recipe I only added two Snickers bars, but I thought they needed more. Â So I then decided to add up to four. Â However, its very difficult to identify these cookies as zucchini based at that point, as they just taste awesomely sweet. Â If you are a purist and want a clean flavor, stick with two chopped up bars.
Working with very chilled Snickers bars is best.
*****
And finally, we have Zucchini Brownies.
I think.
I adapted the recipe from allrecipes.com and they definitely call these brownies.
Zucchini Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 c white sugar
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 2 c all-purpose flour
- 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 c finely shredded and drained zucchini
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a 9x13 pan.
- In mixer, combine oil, sugar, and vanilla until fully incorporated. (usually about 2 min on med speed)
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low, add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
- Remove bowl from stand and fold in zucchini by hand.
- Spread brownie mixture into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Tips for success:
This batter is THICK.  You will not pour it into the pan!  It reminds me of a loose cookie dough.
Dont overcook! Â I pulled mine out of the over right at 25 minutes and they were perfect.
Dont get freaked out that there is no egg and no butter. Â You would never know the difference. Â They brownies do not lack for flavor on any level.
While I know these are called brownies, they did have a cake like quality to them.  The crumb is defiantly cake like.  However, they stick to your teeth like an ooey gooey brownie should.  So for me its a toss up… call it brownie or cake… whatever you call it they are fantastic.
Truly.  This recipe is on par with all brownie recipes I have tried.  (Well, maybe not the Oatmeal Milky Way Brownies, but those are pretty much the exception to every brownie rule, ever.)
Love the idea of zucchini in a white cake! That actually sounds really nice. I’ll have to try this some time soon!
what do you mean by ‘prepare’ a 9 x 13 pan?? is it supposed to be greased and floured? Thanks.
Honestly, I think the brownies are a little flat. Made them a couple hours ago and both my wife and I thought they could use a little something extra. I will say you are correct, they are more cake like and moist. Maybe next time I’d add more salt and some chocolate chips to boost the flavor profile. Ah well, thanks for sharing, maybe I’ll give the cake a shot.
Sorry Thor! Hope you have better results with the cake. 🙂
do you peel the zucchini for the brownie recipe?
You can. I dont like too. 🙂
I made the zucchini brownies. Unfortunately, they were mediocre at best–far too much sugar and salt and not enough of a chocolatey taste. The consistency was nothing like a brownie. However, I do thank you for the idea. Even when something isn’t up my alley I appreciate trying new things.
Sorry you didnt like the flavor. My family adores it! 🙂
Could you please share the chocolate frosting recipe that goes with the white zucchini cake? Love white cake and chocolate frosting~~ This looks delicious! Thanks
Love zucchini. Have it coming out of our ears right now, but mostly putting in to my Smokey Zucchini Salsa. Yummy recipes – all 3! 🙂
Looks really good! saved it to favorites, thanks!
I made these today, following your recipe (love that full tablespoon of vanilla!), and adding a cup of semisweet chocolate chips to the batter after the zucchini. Since I bake in a darker pan, I baked it at 325° and it took 30 minutes. I always use your Brownie Chocolate Frosting recipe (divine), and this time was no exception. These turned out so well: delicious, moist, flavorful, chocolatey—fabulous. No hint of zucchini. I split the bounty onto two plates and delivered them to each of the two new families who just moved onto our street. Happy to bear such fine goodies! Thank you.
Thanks to my prolific garden plants, I have been searching for good zucchini recipes. I just can’t decide which of these to try first! I shared the link to this post on my blog today, in my “List of Fabulous Finds” post – which had a focus on zucchini this week. I think my readers will love these recipes! Thanks.