Adapted from my award-winning zucchini bread recipe, this zucchini crumb cake is moist, cinnamon-spiced, and packed with summer’s bountiful green vegetable. Finished with a buttery brown sugar crumb topping and velvety vanilla icing, this cake will have everyone begging for veggies in the morning.
One reader, Susie, commented: “Absolutely perfect! The entire cake disappeared faster than brownies typically do here…think that says something. ★★★★★”
This zucchini crumb cake doesn’t taste like vegetables at all, and that’s a promise! Just 100% dessert goodness.
Zucchini Crumb Cake Details
- Texture: Today’s breakfast dish is soft, moist, and cakey just like my New York-style crumb cake recipe.
- Flavor: Expect a flavorful cinnamon-spice cake with extra goodness from the sweet, buttery crumb topping.
- Ease: This recipe can be prepared ahead of time and then whipped out the next time you’re hosting a special breakfast or brunch. You can freeze the baked and cooled cake for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, bring it to room temperature first and then drizzle with fresh vanilla icing, if desired, before serving.
And bonus: You don’t even need a mixer to make it!
Zucchini’s Magical Disappearing Act!
I enjoy zucchini in many baked goods beyond classic zucchini bread and zucchini muffins and I know you will too—have you tried zucchini oatmeal cookies and zucchini cake (or even chocolate zucchini cake) yet?
Here’s why you should bake with zucchini:
- Zucchini adds pure moisture with zero vegetable flavor. I wouldn’t bake a cake with a green vegetable if I could taste it. It’s like using carrots to make a delicious carrot cake, except that zucchini hides even better. It’s truly magical in its disappearing act in baked goods.
- There are only so many zucchini side dishes to make! (Zucchini casserole or zucchini fritters, anyone?!) Zucchini grows abundantly in the summer, and it’s fun to incorporate this vegetable when baking during its peak season. Would your neighbors prefer you show up at their door with fresh zucchini from your garden or a homemade zucchini crumb cake?
For even more inspiration, here are 20+ of my favorite zucchini recipes—both sweet and savory! You absolutely don’t want to miss these savory zucchini biscuits.
Key Ingredients You Need & Why
- Flour: Sturdy all-purpose flour is the base of this crumb cake.
- Butter: It creates a wonderfully moist crumb.
- Sugar: A combination of brown and granulated sugars in the cake batter adds more moisture and the best taste and texture. Using only brown sugar in the crumb topping ensures a soft, sweet crumb.
- Zucchini: We’ll use 1 cup (130g) of shredded zucchini. I recommend a box grater to shred the vegetable.
- Cinnamon: We can’t have crumb topping without cinnamon! Because we use cinnamon in both the cake and topping layers, this zucchini crumb cake is perfectly cinnamon-y.
Optional Icing
Feel free to dress the zucchini breakfast cake up with a drizzle of vanilla icing, just like I do with my coffee cake and crumb cake muffins. I like topping the cake with icing while it’s still warm, so it seeps into all of the nooks and crannies. You could also use maple icing from my maple brown sugar cookies, brown butter icing from my apple blondies, or simply leave the cake plain—that crumb topping is delicious all on its own!
Similar Baking Recipes You Will Love
- Cream Cheese Zucchini Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Carrot Cake
Zucchini Crumb Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Yield: serves 9-12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Adapted from my zucchini bread recipe, this zucchini crumb cake is moist, cinnamon-spiced, and hidden with summer’s favorite green vegetable inside. Topped with a buttery brown sugar crumb topping and sweet vanilla icing, veggies for breakfast never tasted so good!
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup (63g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted
Cake
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted + slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup (65g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (130g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)
- optional: vanilla icing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch square or round baking pan, springform pan, or pie dish or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the crumb topping: With a fork, mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Mix in the melted butter. Don’t over-mix; you want the flour-y crumbles. Place in the refrigerator while you make the cake batter.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Whisk the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla extract together in a medium bowl, then whisk in the shredded zucchini. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Batter will be thick. Pour/spread into prepared baking pan, then sprinkle the crumb topping evenly on top.
- Bake for 35-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out mostly clean with no wet batter. (A few moist crumbs are ok!) If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to slightly cool for a few minutes before slicing. I suggest drizzling with vanilla icing while the cake is still warm!
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Freeze baked and cooled cake for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature and drizzle with vanilla icing, if desired, before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Baking Pan, 9-Inch Square Baking Pan, 9-inch Round Baking Pan, 9-Inch Springform Pan, or 9-inch Pie Dish | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Box Grater | Cooling Rack
- 9×13-inch Crumb Cake: Doubling the recipe will be too much batter for a 9×13-inch cake pan. I recommend doubling the recipe, filling the pan halfway, then using any extra batter for muffins. Bake time for 9×13-inch crumb cake will be around 45-50 minutes, but use a toothpick to test for doneness. Instructions for baking zucchini muffins are below.
- Zucchini Crumb Cake Muffins: Make the crumb topping and batter as written. Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. Spoon the batter evenly into each liner, filling each all the way to the top. Press crumb topping into each. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 13-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 18-21 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Yield: about 12-14 muffins.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I’d like to make this, but one question: Do we leave the skin on the zucchini or peel it before shredding?
Hi Mary, you can or you can peel the zucchini. It doesn’t make a difference in the recipe.
I made this exactly as written today, and it was absolutely delicious! I left off the vanilla icing, as it was plenty sweet for me without it. I didnt adjust anything for my high altitude, and it still turned out perfectly. This one is a keeper.
Delicious
Can this recipe be made in a bread loaf pan? If so, how would you recommend we adjust the time for baking? Do you think the current recipe would be enough for two?
Hi Katie, for a bread loaf, we’d recommend using our zucchini bread recipe and then the crumb topping from this cake. Enjoy!
I also doubled and used a 9×13 pan. There was plenty of room. Even after rising in the oven it didn’t reach the top of the pan.
Hi Amy- I wanted to double the recipe as well and use a 9×13 pan- how long did you bake it for? Thank you!
Just made this for a party, and now have to make another one, because we don’t want to give it up. I did double everything and use a 13×9 pan. I just cooked for about 40 minutes. I did use more zucchini, because I had so much. I didn’t make the icing, because I’m lazy and it’s delicious without it!
This is a great recipe! I have made it as crumb cake multiple times in a 9″ round pan. I find the level of sweetness is perfect with the crumb topping, but without the icing. I have also made it in a loaf pan as zucchini bread several times (I leave the crumb topping and vanilla icing off but add chocolate chips). I like this recipe as zucchini bread because it has butter instead of oil. It has a great texture!
sally, want to try this recipe this afternoon, can I double the recipe and bake it in a large bundt pan
Hi Kathleen, We would use our zucchini cake recipe for the right quantities – see recipe Notes for Bundt cake details.
I opted to use an 8” square pan and baked for 30 mins. Cake is perfect and super moist! Had I baked the recommended time, it would have been over baked and using a larger area pan would have been even worse. I highly recommend starting with a lower bake time to start, no matter what size pan and checking towards the end of the bake. We plan on making more and freezing while we’re in the height of zucchini season!
Made in a 9″ square pan. Baked at 350, as noted, for 28 minutes. Could have used less time in the oven. It’s over-baked and somewhat dry. I love Sally’s recipes in general but probably won’t make this again.
Could I add a cup of fresh blueberries to this recipe or do you think that would add too much liquid?
Hi Anna, that should be fine as long as you are using fresh blueberries, not frozen (those would release too much liquid).
Hello. I made this cake yesterday & it is delicious! Best way to use up extra zucchini. I only noticed today that it is supposed to be stored in the refrigerator & I left it on the counter overnight. Any concerns with that, can the leftivers still be eaten?
Hi Jenn, I think it should be fine. Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Not sure what I did but my zucchini cake was a bit dry (¬ over baked dry). Could I add more zucchini or applesauce or even oil to make it more moist??? BTW your scones & lemon bars are the best ever!
Hi Pansey’s Mom, there are a few different factors that can contribute to a dry cake. This post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes will be helpful for troubleshooting. Thank you for giving this one a try!
I love this recipe! I enjoy baking for my coworkers, and I often have vegan or gluten free coworkers that I also like to bake for. Have you made this recipe with an egg substitute before or is there an egg substitute you’d recommend trying with it?
Hi Teresa, we haven’t tested this recipe with any egg substitutes, but let us know if you do!
Made it with vegan butter and Bob’s Red Mill egg substitute. It was more moist than the regular recipe, but otherwise couldn’t tell the difference!
This recipe came out too dry, so I used a syringe and put small holes in the baked cake, then syringed some vegetable oil into the cake, while it was still warm. I then slathered it with cool whip, covered it up with aluminum foil, while it was still warm and placed it back in my still warm oven. Its now definitely moist.
Do you ever use Einkorn flour in your baking? Would this be a good recipe for this flour? Do you have any recipes that could use Einkorn? Thanks your recipes have encouraged me to bake again.
Hi Susan, unfortunately we do not have any experience baking with Einkorn flour, so we’re unsure of how it would work in our recipes. We’d recommend doing a search for recipes that specifically call for that type of flour. Sorry we can’t be of more help here!
This is the best cake! It really is nice and moist, everyone loves it. My whole family is asking for more. The kids and grandkids, husband, cousins, they all want more of this cake. That’s great bc I have a lot of zucchini coming off right now. I made it following your instructions, but I was out of nutmeg so I added a little ground cloves (very little) and I used a glass baking dishes. It was perfect! I love your recipes, thanks a bunch!
As always, thank you for sharing your recipes. I made this the other day and there is none left. It is so very good.
I live making zucchini bread but get tired of it. This cake recipe is is great!
Made this yesterday, and it was so delicious!
My husband, hw won’t touch zucchini dug right in. My mistake was, should have doubled recipe. Definitely a keeper. All your recipes are the best!
I have made this recipe a couple of times recently. I use the Muffin adaptation. Both times I doubled the crumbs, and put a layer in the middle of the muffins. SO good. Lots of compliments.
I would love to try so many of your recipes, but I can’t use regular flour. Do you ever come up with substitutes like almond or coconut flout?
Hi Judy, we don’t have much experience baking with GF flour substitutes, sorry we can’t help more!
I just made this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free flour and it turned out amazing!! Fantastic recipe which I will make again!
Judy,
I just made this with King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure flour and it turned out perfectly. I weighed the flour using the same weights listed in the recipe for regular flour. As an additional note, I usually avoid cane sugar, and instead use coconut flour, I did that here as well substituting for the granulated sugar only and kept the brown sugar.
Judy I have tried some of Sallys recipes with Bobs red mill gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour . The chocolate zucchini cake i have made it many times and it is fantastic you can`t even tell its gluten free its so good. I haven`t tried this recipe yet but I don`t see why this woudn`t come out just as good.
I really like the cake! It is delicious. The only problem I’m having is that I am getting a strange after-taste about a minute after I finish eating a small piece or even a bite. I bake a LOT and have never experienced this. I didn’t use any “bad” or out of date ingredients and followed the recipe to a T. Do you have any ideas what might be causing this?
How strange! Have you baked anything else with this batch of zucchini? Perhaps there’s something going on there. Baking powder and soda can lose freshness after just a few months, it may be worth getting new ones just in case!
Hi Sally, Could you make this recipe with less sugar? If so, what do you suggest I do to cut the amounts down?
Hi Julie, while you can certainly try reducing the sugar, keep in mind that it plays an important role in the overall taste, texture, and structure of the cake. We’d start small and then reduce more/less for future batches.
This is such a delicious cake. I even risked messing it up by halving the sugar amounts and it still came out delicious! I also didn’t even make the crumble or icing for the top. My toddlers ate it up and loved it, even asking for seconds. A warm slice of this with a little butter on it and a glass of milk was the perfect treat for after dinner! I will make this again for sure!
I love your recipes, but with cancer on the rise, I would love to see more recipes that have much less sugar or no sugar at all. Possibly with Stevia or plant base sugars
Mariann, with the exception of I can’t find or make confectioner’s texture stevia, I almost always sub baking stevia that’s 1:1 for sugar. It works perfectly. Even if it says it’s supposed to be packed brown sugar, I’ve used the brown granular stevia with no problems.
Can this recipe be made with frozen zucchini?
Hi Robin, yes, you can use frozen zucchini. Let thaw and drain off any excess water before adding to the batter.
I made this as ‘bribe’ to get my colleagues to listen in a staff meeting, Lol!! I told someone it was ‘bribery’ cake, he asked (because I’m ALWAYS baking) what is Bri-berry cake? Hysterical. Anyway, not only did they listen, but they loved the cake, I even got an order for one. So I doubled the recipe and put it into a 14 x10 pan that I had because of your comment. But I think it could quite easily have gone into a 13×9 and not been too much at all. I saw a few comments of people who did just that. Anyway, it’s a hit as your goods always are Sally, thanks for another winner!!
This is my first time making this recipe and it was divine. I love how fluffy and moist this tastes. My husband and I are in love with it and we’re trying not to eat the entire pan in one evening. Thank you Sally for having the best baking recipes out there. Your recipes never fail us!!
I really found this cake turned out dry. I was really surprised by that. I followed the recipe and only cooked it in a 7×11 pan for 30 minutes. The flavour was really nice and the topping. I wonder why it was dry. I don’t ever have dry cakes, and especially with zucchini. Do you have any suggestions? I love the chocolate chip peanut butter oatmeal cookies by the way!!!
Hi Sandy! This should be a very moist cake. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post. And careful not to over-bake! All oven are different and we recommend keeping an eye on your cake as it bakes and using a toothpick to test for doneness. Thank you for giving this cake a try!