This vegan zucchini cake is flavored with cinnamon and warming spices, and bursting with juicy raisins and crunchy walnuts. It’s a delicious way to use up fresh summer zucchini!
I love incorporating zucchini into baked goods. You know this if you’re familiar with my recipes for vegan zucchini bread and vegan zucchini muffins. I love both of those recipes when I’m craving a sweet snack, but I decided it was time to create a seriously decadent vegan dessert featuring zucchini. Get ready for vegan zucchini cake!
You would never guess that a green veggie is one of the main ingredients in this cake. It’s as delicious and decadent as my vegan spice cake, but gets some extra moisture from shredded zucchini, along with bursts of flavor and texture thanks to the addition of walnuts and raisins.
You’ll definitely want to give this delicious cake a try, whether you’re looking to use up extra zucchini from the garden, or are just craving a spiced sweet dessert!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Non-dairy milk. You can use pretty much any type of non-dairy milk that’s suitable for drinking, as long as it’s unsweetened and unflavored. I used almond milk, but oat milk, soy milk, and cashew milk are also great choices. Read my guide to dairy-free milks if you need help choosing one.
- Ground flaxseeds. You’ll be mixing these with some of the non-dairy milk to create a flax egg, which is the vegan egg substitute used in this recipe.
- Flour. You’ll need all-purpose wheat flour (also known as white flour) for this recipe. Other flours like spelt or gluten-free blends might work, but I haven’t tested the recipe with any of them.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Spices. You’ll need ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Vegetable oil. You can use any neutral oil you like to bake with for this recipe. Corn oil, canola oil, and melted coconut oil will all work!
- Vanilla extract.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Brown sugar. Make sure to use organic brown sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Non-organic sugars are often processed using animal bone char.
- Granulated sugar. This needs to be organic as well.
- Zucchini.
- Walnuts.
- Raisins. These can also be omitted if they’re not your thing.
Tip: Not a fan of raisins and/or walnuts? Leave them out or switch them up with other stir-ins! Other nuts like pecans would work great, and vegan chocolate chips would make a wonderful addition.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Start by shredding your zucchini. Make sure to use the coarse side of your box grater or food processor disc.
To make your flax egg, whisk some non-dairy milk together with ground flaxseeds. Let the mixture sit for five minutes, until it gels.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.
Now combine your wet ingredients in a small container: oil, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and some more non-dairy milk.
Add the brown and white sugar to the bowl with the flax egg. Use an electric mixer to beat these ingredients together until the mixture becomes a bit frothy.
Begin alternating adding the dry and wet ingredient mixtures to the bowl with the flax mixture. Add about a third of each at a time, beating each addition in at low speed.
Once the batter has been completely mixed, fold in the shredded zucchini, walnuts, and raisins.
Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan, then stick it into the oven to bake!
Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let it cool completely. Once it’s cool you can slather it with frosting — I highly recommend using my vegan cream cheese frosting! Or give it a sprinkle with powdered sugar, or serve it plain.
Leftovers & Storage
Vegan zucchini cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for one or two days, in the fridge for about five days, or in the freezer for about three months. It will stay fresh a bit longer if it’s been frosted than it will unfrosted, as the frosting helps seal in moisture.
More Vegan Zucchini Recipes
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Vegan Zucchini Cake
This vegan zucchini cake is flavored with cinnamon and warming spices, and bursting with juicy raisins and crunchy walnuts. It’s a delicious way to use up fresh summer zucchini!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk, divided
- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup organic brown sugar
- ¾ cup organic granulated sugar
- 2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchin)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup raisins
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
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Stir ½ cup of the milk together with the ground flaxseeds in a large mixing bowl. Set this aside, making sure to let it sit for at least five minutes to gel.
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In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set this aside.
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Stir the vegetable oil, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and the remaining ¼ cup of milk together in a small container such as a liquid measuring cup. Set this aside.
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Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl with the flax mixture. Use an electric mixer to beat the ingredients together for about 30 seconds, until completely blended and slightly frothy.
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Beat about a third of the flour mixture into the flax mixture, using the mixer at low speed. Next, beat in about a third of the oil mixture. Alternate adding the flour mixture and oil mixture until the batter is completely combined.
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Fold in the shredded zucchini, walnuts, and raisins.
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Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
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Bake the cake for about 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely.
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Once the cake is cool, you can optionally top it with powdered sugar or frosting (Note 1). Slice and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 289mg | Potassium: 217mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 44IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 2mg
