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    Home » Snacks

    January 21, 2015

    Thermomix Zucchini Cake Recipe

    Jump to recipe

    I first published this Thermomix zucchini cake recipe in April 2014. A few weeks ago in my Thermofunky members Facebook group we were talking about this recipe.

    Jenene said this also works with zucchini and carrot OR just 200g carrots!  Jenene also reduces the sugar to 180g.  Emma another member, said she likes to add a teaspoon of cardamom too!

    I'd love to hear if you have made any tweaks to it.  :)

    This is the most amazing cake.  23 seconds in the Thermomix!  There is no need to squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini and as a benefit to this it keeps the cake so moist for days and days.  I love the thought of having hidden vegetables in cakes, as then I don’t feel guilty for indulging!  :)  This cake also is sensational even without the cream cheese frosting.  I took the cake to work and it was demolished in literally seconds and everyone wanted the recipe for it!

    ThermoFun – Zucchini Cake Recipe

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    162 ratings

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    Slices of frosted zucchini cake

    Ingredients

    Cake

    • 250g raw sugar
    • 3 eggs
    • 150g vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
    • 2 teaspoon ThermoFun Vanilla Bean Paste
    • zest 1 lemon, divided
    • 250g zucchini washed, unpeeled, quartered
    • 250g plain flour
    • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
    • 1½ teaspoon bi-carb soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Cream Cheese Frosting

    • 100g butter, cubed, softened
    • 90g cream cheese (room temp)
    • ½ teaspoon ThermoFun Vanilla Bean Paste
    • 300g icing sugar

    Instructions

    Cake

    1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 23x33cm tin.
    2. Place sugar into TM bowl and mill 3 sec / speed 10.
    3. Add eggs, oil, vanilla, half the lemon zest and zucchini and mix 10 sec / speed 6. Scrape down.
    4. Add flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt and mix 10 sec / speed 6.
    5. Bake for 20 to 25 mins.
      NB: time in oven can vary depending on the moisture in zucchinis.
    6. Allow cake to cool completely before icing.

    Frosting

    1. Place butter, cream cheese, vanilla, remaining lemon zest and icing sugar into TM bowl and mix 10 sec / speed 5. Scrape down and repeat.

    Notes

    GLUTEN FREE AND EGG FREE VERSION:
    This can be made with gluten free flour and replace eggs with one medium size banana!

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    If you have enjoyed the Thermomix zucchini cake then please consider leaving a comment.  It’s always refreshing to see comments from people that have tried a recipe and found it a success or tweaked it to suit.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Evelyn See says

      June 14, 2022 at 4:22 pm

      Hi.. can this be made using butter instead of coconut oil? Is this zuchinni cake freezer friendly?

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        June 15, 2022 at 6:11 pm

        Hi Evelyn, I’ve never tried, but you certainly should be able to, with the same weight of butter. It will probably have a slightly different flavour, and might be a little drier, as butter is a mixture of fat and water. I particularly like the additional sweetness provided by coconut oil.

        Yes it can definitely be frozen, I’ve done that many times. Though it also lasts at least 5 days in a container (unless it gets eaten first !)

        Reply
    2. Magda says

      May 06, 2020 at 7:08 pm

      This is one of my favourite recipes, I make it so often. Beautiful soft texture and it’s so easy and quick. I have substituted the zucchini with pear and it was great too.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        May 06, 2020 at 10:16 pm

        Thank you so much Magda! I can't wait to try it with pear now!

        Reply
    3. Lisa says

      August 27, 2018 at 11:37 pm

      Yum! I made this and it was delicious!
      I only used 100 grams of sugar. And I used half oat milk/ half coconut oil.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        August 28, 2018 at 6:02 pm

        Thanks Lisa - love your tweaks too! :)

        Reply
    4. Happy thermomixer says

      January 24, 2018 at 6:34 pm

      This is AMAZING! My fiancé HATES zucchini so I snuck this in and he LOVED it! (Wasn’t too chuffed about being tricked ;) ). I gave some to friends and neighbors and they all loved it too! I’m going to try it again but cut back on the sugar so it’s not so bad for you!

      Reply
    5. Natalie Ann CAMPBELL says

      October 06, 2017 at 7:33 pm

      Yum!! This is my go to zucchini cake. Today I added 30gms of cacao powder and the zest of an orange instead of lemon.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        October 07, 2017 at 2:18 pm

        Yum sounds great Natalie :)

        Reply
    6. Natasha says

      September 02, 2017 at 2:06 pm

      Love this recipe! Our daughter is allergic to eggs, so i use 3 tblsp of vinegar, and 2 tbls extra oil instead! I also halve the sugar and add 30g organic cacao powder to make 'chocolate muffins' my 3 kids devour them!!!! Sometimes ill peel them and add white choc chips (instead of cacao powder), for something different! They really are a no fail cake or muffin recipe!!

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        September 06, 2017 at 8:13 pm

        Thank you Natasha, fabulous to hear the vinegar and extra oil subs well too! Great to hear re the cacao too - I've also done that and it worded a treat!

        Reply
    7. Joeanne Hanlon says

      June 06, 2017 at 11:00 am

      Just wondering if you can peel the zucchini? As my husband is extremely fussy and if he seen green specks in it he wouldn't even try it.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        June 08, 2017 at 11:01 pm

        Yes you can Joeanne. :)

        Reply
    8. shaun says

      April 09, 2017 at 5:44 pm

      Hi Leonie
      thank you so much for this recipe I always struggle with cakes but I have made this 6 times and it turns out every time.I am going to do some mods and will let you know how it goes
      Shaun E

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        April 10, 2017 at 5:44 pm

        Great to hear Shaun - I am sure you will love all the other cakes as well :D Yes please to the mods :D

        Reply
    9. Marion says

      February 20, 2017 at 3:19 pm

      I made this with a lemon drizzle icing as I didn't have room in the fridge with cream cheese frosting. It was delicious and enjoyed by all.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        February 21, 2017 at 9:58 am

        Thanks Marion - I love the sound of the lemon drizzle icing too! :)

        Reply
    10. Patricia McGrath says

      December 04, 2016 at 10:05 pm

      This is a super recipe!! I added 50g cocoa powder and substituted orange for lemon zest - and voila! - a delicious moist chocolate cake that doesn't crumble when you cut it. Great recipe. This will be my go to chocolate slice now

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        December 05, 2016 at 9:22 pm

        Thanks Patricia, I love your tweaks! I will certainly look forward to trying! :)

        Reply
    11. Juliet says

      July 02, 2016 at 9:13 pm

      Is there a way this can be done with a little less sugar ?

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        July 03, 2016 at 12:26 pm

        Juliet, I haven't made it with less sugar but many others have and have said it turned out great. I think it will end up being personal preference to find what works for your family.

        Reply
    12. SusanE says

      July 01, 2016 at 3:06 am

      I made this today but added lime. I replaced the lemon and vanilla in the batter with the zest and juice of 1 lime, and then replaced vanilla in the icing with the zest of 1 lime and the juice of 1/2 lime. It is really good!

      Reply
    13. Kylie Berryman says

      June 29, 2016 at 7:34 pm

      I make this cake almost weekly, great in the lunch box (without frosting), also make it into cupcakes. I reduce the sugar by 100gms and sometimes replace oil with same amount of applesauce, works well every time. Today I made it with Gluten Free flour (250gm) and it turned out amazing. Until I tried this recipe I could not bake cakes and I was well known for my cake flops, now whenever I have to make a cake to take I trot this baby out and sit back and enjoy the yums! Thanks Leonie.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        June 29, 2016 at 10:03 pm

        Thanks Kylie - great to know it is just as good with gluten free flour and less sugar too! Great idea re the apple sauce too, I will have to try that! :)

        Reply
    14. cecilia says

      February 17, 2016 at 2:03 pm

      Hi
      I made this and couldn't to taste it, it looked amazing but it took longer for it to cook mine took an extra 30mins in the oven and once it was ready to eat all i could taste was the bicarb in it and i followed the instructions and i made sure i only put 2 tsp of bicarb in, its eatable but everyone says there is a funny taste to it.... i used a zucchini from my dads garden that is light green in colour and though that this may have been the problem with the longer cooking time as it may have been more watery than the normal dark green zucchini... did anyone else have trouble with the taste of bicarb? luck i taste tested it on my family before i took it to my friends house.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        February 18, 2016 at 5:15 pm

        oh no Cecilia :( To be honest you are the first I've heard say that for this particular recipe. Hopefully others may have some ideas for you as to why this may have happened.

        Reply
    15. Lisa says

      January 26, 2016 at 2:34 pm

      Hi, thanks for this recipe. Delicious cake and gorgeous texture! I used a large baking tin as per your measurements, but it has come out pretty flat, so I will use a smaller square tin next time. I also reduced the sugar to about 90g. Thanks again.

      Reply
    16. Tara says

      January 21, 2016 at 5:34 pm

      I made this gf and dairy free using Tofutti cream cheese and Nuttlex for the icing. It took a little longer than to cook, however it was very moist and delicious!

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        January 22, 2016 at 5:00 pm

        Thanks Tara great to know. :)

        Reply
    17. Jenny Sullivan says

      September 15, 2015 at 2:32 am

      Well silly me ordered 2 x 500g packets of zucchini's on my coles online order instead of just 2, this week oops. So I went straight to this recipe to use up some, I think I might make the other one as well with the pistachio's and lime frosting, as I definitely have enough Zucchini's. Thanks Leonie for yet another amazing cake recipe so yummy and moist.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        September 18, 2015 at 1:45 am

        lol that's rather funny Jenny about your order! :)

        Reply
    18. [email protected] says

      August 22, 2015 at 9:40 am

      sooooo amazing made this last week and everyone loved it and one of our station hands asked for it for his birthday :) So moist you don't need the icing but the icing is lick your lips delicious.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        August 23, 2015 at 7:20 pm

        Thanks! It's certainly a keeper! :)

        Reply
    19. Jenene says

      August 14, 2015 at 11:03 pm

      That should say 100g coconut sugar, sorry!

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        August 14, 2015 at 11:08 pm

        Thank you :)

        Reply
    20. Jenene says

      August 14, 2015 at 4:41 pm

      This cake is so versatile. I made it AGAIN today with g coconut sugar only as thats all i had. Turned out perfectly!

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        August 14, 2015 at 10:57 pm

        That's great to know about the coconut sugar Jenene. thanks :)

        Reply
    21. Kirsten says

      August 12, 2015 at 8:52 pm

      I added frozen raspberries and it was delicious!!

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        August 14, 2015 at 10:58 pm

        oh wow what a fabulous idea Kirsten. thank you for sharing. :) Is there any chance you can recall how many grams you added?

        Reply
        • Kirsten says

          August 15, 2015 at 12:52 am

          Hi I think it was about 1/2 cup frozen raspberries at the very end and carefully stirred so they didn't break up. The cake got many compliments at the work morning tea - thanks

          Reply
          • thermofun says

            August 16, 2015 at 1:07 am

            Many thanks Kirsten. I and I'm sure many others will look forward to trying it with raspberries. Thanks for letting us know how much you used. :)

            Reply
    22. Tara says

      August 08, 2015 at 11:40 pm

      Amazing as usual! Have made this cake soooo many times, and always turns out a charm.
      Tomorrow it will be going to a bake sale to raise some money for my daughters dance club, and its always the first sold!
      Thanks Leonie!

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        August 09, 2015 at 2:42 pm

        Thank you Tara. I hope the bake sale went well today. :)

        Reply
    23. Jules says

      May 04, 2015 at 3:03 pm

      very nice cake. I reduced the sugar though to 100grams

      Reply
    24. Shell hall says

      May 03, 2015 at 1:01 pm

      Can anyone help I am cooking this now it's been in the oven for 35 min and still completely wobbly in the middle. I have checked the temp and it is right.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        May 03, 2015 at 3:30 pm

        Sorry Shell just saw this now. It's the weirdest cake as some do seem to take a lot longer than others.

        Reply
    25. Lisa Roberton says

      April 12, 2015 at 4:55 pm

      okay, given the high praise I just read I will give this a go as have always been a bit hesitant in making cake with veggies - just a me thing........ Stay tuned.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        April 12, 2015 at 6:36 pm

        oh I am TOTALLY with you on that Lisa re veggies in cakes!! lol! Seriously though this one you will not know! I can't wait to hear what you think! :)

        Reply
    26. Tricia casey says

      February 08, 2015 at 11:20 am

      I tried this using coconut oil and I put a full punnet of fresh blueberries on the bottom of the cake before placing in the cake mixture. Served it with the orange custard instead of the cream cheese icing. Made a great dessert. What was left still made a great lunch box cake without the icing. Thank you for this lovely versitile recipe

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        February 08, 2015 at 11:30 am

        Wow Tricia what an awesome idea with the fresh blueberries on the bottom - thanks for letting us know. :)

        Reply
    27. Rhiannon says

      February 02, 2015 at 10:34 pm

      I am yet to receive my TM, and desperately want to try this recipe... Would I just bung it all in the good ole food processor??

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        February 03, 2015 at 2:31 pm

        Yes that should be fine Rhiannon :)

        Reply
    28. Chrissie DiCarlo says

      February 02, 2015 at 2:08 pm

      Hi tested this out the other day, in the cake i used coconut sugar instead of raw sugar & i used half coconut flour & half wholemeal plain flour. I found that the amount of sugar in the icing was way too much(to sweet) so i will lessen that next time, as i didnt have any coconut sugar left i used raw sugar in the icing, i added more philly cheese & butter to try & unsweeten it a little, but must say the cake was eaten up within a couple of days, we all loved it, thank you for recipe. Next time I make it, I am planning on using all coconut flour & coconut sugar in both the cake & icing, fingers crossed it works.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        February 03, 2015 at 5:41 pm

        Chrissie I'll be very interested to know how it goes with coconut flour and coconut sugar. :)

        Reply
    29. Twissty says

      January 27, 2015 at 12:35 pm

      hi there am testing this recipe with zucchini and pumpkin, the batter tastes so that's a good sign

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        January 27, 2015 at 1:40 pm

        oh I'll be dying to hear how it goes with pumpkin! :)

        Reply
      • Twisty says

        February 02, 2015 at 9:04 pm

        Was really yummy with pumpkin and zucchini mix! We made them into patty cake sizes for lunch boxes and used Betty Crocker vanilla icing as my kids are dairy free. Delicious! About to make more

        Reply
        • thermofun says

          February 03, 2015 at 5:37 pm

          oh great to hear it works with pumpkin. :)

          Reply
    30. Kez says

      January 22, 2015 at 1:55 pm

      i've just made this cake it is baking as we speak, I used rice bran oil as all had left in cupboard (didn't see the comments re coconut oil - will use that next time) but I added Black Chia Seeds, LSA & Cocao be interesting to see how it turns out as I didn't measure just a couple of tsp of each.

      Reply
    31. Chrissie DiCarlo says

      January 22, 2015 at 10:29 am

      Hi I was just wondering if I could use wholemeal plain flour? Also was wondering why do you use the plain flour & baking powder if this equals self raising flour, why not just use self raising flour?

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        January 23, 2015 at 7:01 am

        Hi Chrissie,
        the usual reason for using plain flour plus baking soda is that allows you to control the ratio of flour to raising agent. And some countries don't have SR flour so specifying plain plus baking soda makes it more widely useful. In this recipe the ration is about the same as SR flour, so it should be OK, you would still need the bicarb soda as well.
        I haven't tried it with wholemeal flour but I would be keen to hear how it goes.
        Here's a great article on plain flour vs SR flour:
        https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/recipes/how-to/2009/12/self-raising-flour-vs-regular-flour-with-raising-agents/

        Reply
    32. JANET LAVER says

      January 17, 2015 at 3:11 pm

      Everyone has loved this cake.
      It freezes well, and about to make them into cupcakes to take with me next week for my grand-children :-)

      Reply
    33. Missyann says

      January 04, 2015 at 11:37 pm

      Very very yummy! It took more than 60 minutes for the cake to cook but it's the first time I've cooked a cake in my oven so I'm not sure if it needs longer or if my ovens a bit slow. It's is such a moist but springy cake. I have another zucchini in my fridge so I think I might make another one tomorrow for my dad. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    34. Vicki says

      December 27, 2014 at 4:52 pm

      Hi I just tried this!! The bad news was my oven died as when I went to check the oven just wasn't hot enough and the cake just wasn't cooking! Will have to try this again!

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        December 28, 2014 at 7:56 pm

        oh no that is such a shame Vicki re your oven. :(

        Reply
    35. Alice Shaw says

      August 19, 2014 at 8:26 pm

      I recently made this cake. Used coconut oil as I noticed another commenter had done and it turned out brilliantly. The kids ate it without me even icing it. High praise indeed :-)

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        August 19, 2014 at 10:24 pm

        Thanks Alice,- it is amazing that it is so moist isn't it?! I often make it without icing it! :)

        Reply
    36. Silvana says

      August 12, 2014 at 5:51 pm

      Hi just wondering if there are any sugar substitutes that have been used for this recipe please. I want to try it but trying to cut out sugar :) thanks

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        August 13, 2014 at 12:38 pm

        Sorry Silvana I haven't heard of any yet for this cake. I have certainly reduced the sugar successfully so you could try that and see how you go.

        Reply
        • Silvana says

          August 13, 2014 at 9:27 pm

          Thanks I will try making it tonight with a substitute and will let you know how I go.

          Reply
    37. Kelly says

      August 10, 2014 at 10:03 pm

      I can't get over how light and moist this cake is! It really is superb! I do have a question, possibly a silly one....I'm a 2 week old Thermomix newbie and have had more thank my fair share of baking flops! What is the reason to have baking soda and powder in the recipe? Is it possible to cut back on the baking soda? I swear I can taste it. My hubby thinks I'm crazy! Won't stop me from having a second piece, though! I better hurry..everyone loves it! :) it really is fantastic!

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        August 13, 2014 at 11:02 am

        yes it is really moist isn't it Kelly. :) The baking soda adds to the lightness of the cake, but you can leave it out if you wish. It just won't be so light. If you can taste it, perhaps halve the quantity next time you make it.
        The baking powder added to the plain flour works as a raising agent - that's how we can make self raising flour if we have run out. (2 tsp baking powder to each cup of plain flour = self raising flour!)

        Reply
    38. Deb says

      May 03, 2014 at 1:59 pm

      Great recipe. I didn't have enough zucchini so used carrott and zucchini and it tastes so good and was so simple.....not sure it will last long enough to put the frosting on it

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        May 03, 2014 at 11:28 pm

        Great idea with the carrot Deb. I made this the other day and only had 2 eggs and not even 190g in sugar and it still worked and was yum! Certainly a NO FAIL recipe for a cake no matter what we do I'm thinkin'! :)

        Reply
    39. Lise says

      April 16, 2014 at 8:43 pm

      I used a little more oil and added some water, which then made the batter quite runny so added about 50g more flour to thicken it up a little. Was very yummy, though my cake was decidedly green!

      Reply
    40. Lise says

      April 16, 2014 at 3:07 pm

      Looks divine! About to attempt an eggless version...!

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        April 16, 2014 at 6:08 pm

        oh I'd love to know how it goes with no eggs Lise - what will you sub them with?

        Reply
        • Nadia says

          August 03, 2014 at 3:15 pm

          Am also going to attempt an eggless version... Have recently been subbing egg with mashed banana so will see how it goes! Might put in some 'chia egg' too. It's also going to have to be gf...can't wait to taste it !

          Reply
          • thermofun says

            August 03, 2014 at 7:24 pm

            oh Nadia I will be very interested to hear how it goes with no eggs. :)

            Reply
            • Nadia says

              August 13, 2014 at 2:03 pm

              It was fantastic! The banana added a nice flavour. Although I think next time I will use 1/2 oil and 1/2 milk (oat, we're also dairy free) because I found it a little too greasy for my taste.

    41. Nicky Jellesma says

      April 14, 2014 at 8:45 am

      Hi. I made this with coconut oil and it taste amazing. Thank you. At this time of year always looking for ways to use up zucchini.

      Reply
      • thermofun says

        April 14, 2014 at 11:03 am

        Thanks Nicky - yes it is amazing isn't it! And healthy too with the zucchini!! lol

        Reply
        • Ana says

          February 22, 2015 at 11:20 pm

          Hi I made this today and my toddler loved it kept asking for more. The sugar still had bits of it on the icing I don't know what a did wrong . I put some orange on the icing it was really nice. Thanks for sharing its our family favourite now.

          Reply

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