This cake is absolutely delicious! It’s one layer with a cream cheese frosting. As always, we include gluten and dairy free substitutions. You don’t have to use black walnuts, but they do have a very distinct taste that regular walnuts don’t have.
We talk you through making this cake in Episode 247 of our podcast. If you enjoy this Zucchini Black Walnut Cake, you may also like our recipes for Cheesy Zucchini Muffins and Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread.
Ingredients – cake
1 ½ cups of grated zucchini, as much moisture squeezed out as possible
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup of granulated sugar
¼ cup of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 ½ cups of all purpose flour or gluten free 1-1 flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon of cardamom
¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
1 cup of black walnuts, coarsely chopped
Ingredients – frosting
3 ounces of softened cream cheese or dairy free cream cheese, softened
2 cups of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of milk or plant milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray or butter a 9×13 inch baking pan.
In a medium or small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the eggs, sugar and oil until smooth. Mix in the vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir well to combine. Mix in the zucchini and walnuts. Pour the batter into the baking dish and spread it evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan before frosting.
Make the frosting. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar and beat until all ingredients are blended into a spreadable frosting. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too runny, or a bit of milk if too stiff. Spread the frosting over the cake, serve, and enjoy!