Anyone who tries this zucchini cake with hazelnuts is likely to become a fan of vegetables in dessert form. The combination of ingredients yields an incredibly moist zucchini nut cake with a gentle caramel-like note from the brown sugar.
Taste and Occasion
This zucchini cake with hazelnuts is simply delicious and makes a wonderful sweet vegetable treat that even children will enjoy. The shredded zucchini in the batter preserves moisture, keeping the cake fresh for longer. You can bake it one to two days ahead and it will still be moist and flavorful.
Ingredients
I recently brought this zucchini hazelnut cake to a summer party at our kids’ kindergarten and it disappeared first — a pleasant surprise. The cake looks simple from the outside, but its flavor and texture win people over. While it isn’t a health food, the zucchini and hazelnuts add nutritional value compared with many traditional cakes.
How to make the Zucchini Nut Cake
Start by greasing a large loaf pan and dusting it with flour or ground nuts. Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C). Wash and peel the zucchini, grate it finely and squeeze out excess moisture.
Beat the eggs with the brown sugar for a few minutes until very foamy, then stir in the sunflower oil. In a separate bowl combine the all-purpose flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, cinnamon and vanilla pulp, then fold this dry mix into the egg mixture. Finally, gently fold in the grated zucchini.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for about 50–55 minutes, then let the cake cool in the pan before turning it out. Finish with a dusting of powdered sugar, a drizzle of glaze or melted chocolate, and scatter chopped hazelnuts on top for decoration.
Top Tip
Baking with zucchini might sound unusual, but this cake is the zucchini equivalent of a classic carrot cake. Both vegetables have a mild flavor that blends seamlessly into sweet batters and keeps cakes wonderfully moist — a clever way to include more veggies in treats that kids actually enjoy.
Recipe Card
Zucchini Nut Cake
Equipment
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1 Loaf Pan (12 in / 30 cm)
Ingredients
For the batter
- 300 grams zucchini
- 4 eggs, medium
- 190 grams brown sugar, or coconut/cane sugar
- 125 milliliters sunflower oil
- 250 grams all-purpose flour
- 150 grams ground hazelnuts
- 1 small bag baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 piece vanilla pod, the pulp
For optional decoration
- 150 grams chocolate icing, or chocolate coating
- hazelnuts, chopped
Instructions
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Grease a large loaf pan and dust with flour or ground nuts. Preheat oven to 360°F (180°C). Wash, peel and finely grate the zucchini, then squeeze out excess water.
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Beat eggs with brown sugar until very foamy. Stir in the oil. Combine flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, cinnamon and vanilla pulp, then fold into the egg mixture. Finally fold in the grated zucchini.
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Pour batter into the pan and smooth the surface. Bake for about 50–55 minutes. Let cool in the pan, then turn out. Dust with powdered sugar, or spread a glaze or melted chocolate on top and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
There are several ways to adapt the recipe: for a gluten-free or flour-free version, replace the flour with additional ground hazelnuts (expect a denser, moister loaf). For a lower-carb cake, substitute sugar with erythritol or xylitol. You can also experiment with different nuts, spices or a simple glaze of chocolate or powdered sugar. The original hazelnut-zucchini combination, however, is a favorite for its balance of texture and flavor.
