I promise, you’ve never had a zucchini cake like this!!
I always thought of zucchini cake as a bit boring. Plus, you often see it marketed as “healthy,” when in reality it’s still loaded with sugar and flour.
Oh, and it’s usually chock-full of nuts too. (I think nuts should stay far, far away from my baked goods).
So what changed my mind about zucchini cake?
Well, for starters, we changed the recipe!
We subbed gluten free flour so it won’t upset my tummy, cut the normal amount of sugar in half (you can’t even tell), bathed it in a glorious dairy-free glaze, and sprinkled with raw pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate for just the right touch of crunchy, salty, and sweet.
It’s pretty amazing. And as far as desserts go, it’s much healthier than your standard zucchini cake. Try it with your morning cup of coffee… I’m kind of in love…
Gluten Free Zucchini Cake
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Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free baking flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp vanilla
For the glaze:
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons cashew milk (or milk of your choice)
For the crunchy topping:
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, chopped
Directions
Sift flour into large mixing bowl (we used a pre-made gluten free baking flour to save time). Add baking soda, baking powder, salt and whisk together.
In a separate mixing bowl combine eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and whisk together to form a batter.
Pour batter into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir together until combined and you have a thick batter the color of peanut butter.
Add grated zucchini to your batter and stir in until zucchini is evenly distributed.
Pour batter into a greased bundt pan (you can use cooking spray or 1 TB butter/flour mixture).
Bake for 29-32 minutes at 350°F.
Allow to cake to cool completely before removing from pan.
To make the dairy free glaze:
Slowly drizzle cashew milk into a medium mixing bowl with powdered sugar, stirring as you go. Adding the milk slowly instead of pouring in all at once helps prevent clumping and makes mixing easier.
Whisk together cashew milk and powdered sugar until you have a smooth white glaze.
Tip: Make sure cake is room temperature or cool before pouring glaze over cake.
Top with with raw pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate chips or chunks — allow glaze to set before cutting and serving.
Grab a free printable copy of our gluten free zucchini cake recipe here:
The BEST Gluten Free Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups gluten free baking flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp vanilla
For the glaze:
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons cashew milk or milk of your choice
For the crunchy topping:
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips chopped
Instructions
To make the cake
- Sift flour into large mixing bowl (we used a pre-made gluten free baking flour to save time). Add baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and whisk together.
- In a separate mixing bowl combine eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and whisk together to form a batter.
- Pour batter into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir together until combined and you have a thick batter the color of peanut butter.
- Add grated zucchini to your batter and stir in until zucchini is evenly distributed.
- Pour batter into a greased bundt pan (you can use cooking spray or 1 TB butter/flour mixture).
- Bake for 29-32 minutes at 350°F.
- Allow to cake to cool completely before removing from pan.
To make the dairy free glaze:
- Slowly drizzle cashew milk into a medium mixing bowl with powdered sugar, stirring as you go. Adding the milk slowly instead of pouring in all at once helps prevent clumping and makes mixing easier.
- Whisk together cashew milk and powdered sugar until you have a smooth white glaze.
Put it all together:
- Slowly drizzle glaze over cooled cake. Top with with raw pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate chips or chunks — allow glaze to set before cutting and serving.
Nutrition
More of our favorite healthy gluten free dessert recipes:
The BEST Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake (Gluten Free & Lactose Free)
Decadent Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
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- 4th of July Fudge - June 6, 2023
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Diego Lopes says
Looks great! And really a lot healthier than most cakes, looking forward to make it!
Philippa says
Gluten Free Zucchini Cake
Don;t forget to say ‘add the cinnamon’! I missed it.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Just updated the recipe card – thanks for the catch!