A super-moist, warmly spiced cake packed with pecans and rum-soaked raisins. Even the pickiest eaters won’t guess it has 2 cups shredded zucchini hiding in plain sight. If your child struggles to put down root vegetables (raw or cooked) and has a penchant for a side order of rebellion as soon as vegetables arrive on their plate – prepare for defeat.
This dish will definitely be the easiest, most rewarding you can try, without them knowing. This cake is easy and delicious and the kind of thing you may wish to pass off, pretending you spent the entire weekend hunched over baking – although it barely took ten minutes from chopping up to pouring time. Vegetables doing the heavy lifting – nobody has to know the sneaky baker.
How to Prep Zucchini for Baking
Step 1: rinse and pat dry the zucchini.
Step 2: slice off both ends (stem and blossom, no peeling required!).
Step 3: shred using the LARGE holes of your box grater (important part – the size of the holes matter).
Step 4: wrap with a towel and squeeze all excess water out of the zucchini (this part is CRITICAL, without it your batter will be soupy.).
Step 5: measure out 2 packed cups of zucchini and you’ re ready to bake!
Fresh zucchini tends to vary from season to season and can have more or less water but please don’ t skip the towel squeeze. Trust me on this one!
Swaps for Raisins and Pecans
Feel free to play around with the mix-ins. Here are the switches that actually work.
1) Raisins. Use chopped dried cranberries, chopped dates or dried apricots. They all have the same chew and flavour (chop those dried apricots into small small pieces so they do not sink)
2) Pecans. Use walnuts or chopped almonds or hazelnuts
3) nut-free / seed-free. Leave them out and replace with 1/2 cup extra zucchini and 1/4 – 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Yes. Solved
4) want even more of a textured cake? Add 2 tablespoons of shredded coconut (on top of any swap that you decide)
Storing Your Zucchini Bundt Cake
So this Zucchini Bundt Cake tastes great cold or warm? You got it! And it keeps its fresh taste and moist character up to 3 days when stored in an tightly shut box at room temperature. Just think, you can eat a bit in the morning and evening for about half a week from a single one!
You can leave it sealed in the box and tucked into the fridge; it will last a whole week then. The zucchini content keeps it delightfully moist! So go ahead and get ahead or keep some for some company coming around. However, it still must be wrapped with a plastic wrap (or it will absorb tastes that you do not even want and it gets dry).
You can even stock it, all you have to do is slice it, wrap single slices and put them into your freezer up to 3 months. Let it melt in room temperature, enjoy the softness and get your appetite after that (that will certainly happen) in case a later surprise visit awaits!
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Easy 30-Minute Zucchini Muffins
- Perfect Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake
- Sweet Glazed Zucchini Cake with Brown Sugar Icing
- Cinnamon Pecan Bundt Pan Zucchini Bread
- Tasty Easter Carrot Cake
- Irresistible Dairy Free Carrot Cake Banana Bread
Estimated Nutrition
Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):
- Calories: 2500-2700
- Protein: 25-30 g
- Fat: 120-130 g
- Carbohydrates: 350-370 g
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup oil (vegetable)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 3 teaspoons vanilla essence
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup raisins
Step 1: Preheat and Prep
Preheat your oven to approx 350°F/175°C. Prepare your bundt pan by coating with grease and then flour, to avoid sticking. Alternately, use a non-stick baking spray.
Step 2: Whisk the Liquid Base
Mix your eggs, sugars and oil with a mixer (medium-low setting) in a large sized bowl. Whisk until blended and smooth.
Step 3: Mix in Dry Ingredients
Add your flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda. Continue to mix with mixer until batter is at desired consistency – well mixed.
Step 4: Add Zucchini and Vanilla
Squeeze out the zucchini – remove the moisture, otherwise your end product will be runny and your taste unsatisfying. Add to the bowl, then follow up with the vanilla extract – mix carefully, all the ingredients this time.
Step 5: Fold in the Mix-Ins
Add raisins and nuts – do this by hand, not with your electronic mixer. This will mix the ingredients slower and more appropriately to the rest; no one wants raisins and nuts mushed together!
Step 6: Bake and Cool
Pop the results into your bundt pan and into the oven for 45 minutes at 350°F/175°C. Cook until a toothpick or similar comes clean from the cake. Let it cool; serve warm or at room temperature!
Whenever I use my Bundt pan for baking, I use a home made mix that is called” magic cake pan release”. Many bakeries use this to ensure easy removal from Bundt pans. It has never failed me. Here’s the recipe:
1/3 cup AP flour
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/3 cup crisco
Mix all until smooth. Use a pastry brush to evenly coat your pan. Get the creases and sides well. It leaves no crumbs and releases all cakes perfectly.
NOTE: if make a chocolate cake. Replace the flour with cocoa powder, so you don’t get a white residue on the cake.
This will store for 3 months in a canning jar in a cool place.
The magic mix is great. Ever since I started using it for my Bundt cakes I never have any sticking.
I substituted dates for the raisins-so good!!! Texture is fantastic! Made this twice in the past 2 weeks! A definite keeper!!!
I’m going to try dates!
Crisco oil or crisco lard
Omit raisins and nuts, (my family doesn’t like them in baking) and add a teaspoon of cardamom. Takes it to the next level!
Made this Zucchini Bundt Cake this am. It is delicious. I will use recipe again!!
I don’t have a. Bundt pan! Can I use a regular bread pan?
so I made this cake & it totally flopped on me, I did use olive oil instead of vegetable oil, (but I’ve used olive oil in other recipes) it fell in the middle, really fell, so I let it cool turned it out on a plate & it just fell out in pieces after pieces. what on earth did I do. 😳
I substituted baking chocolate powder instead of cinnamon and raisins. It tasted delicious!!
I use crushed pineapple in my zucchini bread!
I’d never tried it in a Bundt cake pan. Looks delicious & smells great!
Can use regular vanilla extract
This is a keeper. I used walnuts, chocolate chips and dried cranberries wow, super moist, looks great and easy to freeze. Look forward to friends giving me a zucchini next year!
what is the caramel looking drizzle on top??
What is the drizzle o top of the cake?
Can you use a sugar substitute like swerve?
I don’t often leave comments about recipes unless I am pleased with the results. I have made this recipe twice. the first time I used a bundt pan and the second time I made 5 small loaves. I can truly say the cake and bread were super moist, not to sweet or too spicy. I used a glaze on the cake and cream cheese frosting on the loaves, both were delicious. For me, this recipe will be a keeper in my recipe box.