The zucchini makes this the moistest vanilla cake you will ever have! This cake is absolutely decadent with rich cake flavor that is topped with a creamy and buttery frosting.
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8 inch parchment lined baking pan.
- Peel the zucchini and shred using a food processor or hand held grater. Spread the shredded zucchini out on paper towels. Top the zucchini with more paper towels and gently blot dry.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the zucchini, sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and cake batter extract if using.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients into the bowl of the stand mixer. Mix until combined.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, or an electric mixer, beat the cooled brown butter (see notes for how to make brown butter) and room temperature cream cheese for 2 minutes until light and smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and mix until smooth.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cake.
Notes
To make brown butter: Brown the butter: Set out a medium heatproof bowl or glass liquid measuring cup because you’ll need it at the end of this step. Place the butter in a light colored skillet or saucepan. A light-colored interior allows you to determine when the butter begins to brown. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Continue stirring/whisking, keeping a close eye on it. After about 5–7 minutes, the butter will begin browning and you’ll notice lightly browned specks forming at the bottom of the pan. The butter will have a nutty aroma. The color will gradually deepen, from yellow to golden to golden-brown; once it’s a light caramel-brown color, immediately remove from heat and pour into the bowl; be sure to scrape out and include the brown solids that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Cool completely until it is the consistency of room temperature butter.
If you prefer to not use gluten free flour, you can substitute all purpose flour using the same measurement.
This recipe can easily be doubled for a 9 x 13 inch pan.
