Paleo Baking – Healthy Zucchini Cakes with Lemon Coconut Cream Frosting (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo) – 1 hr

If you are looking for a healthy and delicious way to make cake, look no further! In this paleo baking zucchini cake recipe, you can fit in servings of veggies in the form of a dessert!  No one will be able to resist a slice (or two) of this cake.

This cake is so moist and fluffy, you would never guess that it’s a paleo baking recipe! The zucchini keeps the cake perfectly moist, while the almond flour and coconut flour give it a delicious, slightly nutty flavor.

Zucchini cake is perfect for summer gatherings or potlucks! It’s a great way to use up fresh zucchini, and it’s sure to be a hit with everyone.

Best of all, it is really easy to make. So let’s get started!

Ingredients Needed

Healthy Zucchini Cake with Lemon Coconut Cream Frosting (Gluten-free, Paleo)

INSTRUCTIONS

Zucchini Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Grease or apply parchment paper to a 9×13 inch pan, OR two 9 inch round pans.

3. Grate 3 cups of zucchini, and pour grated zucchini into a large bowl.

4. In a small bowl, whisk wet ingredients–egg, avocado oil (or other oil), apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk all dry ingredients–almond flour, arrowroot flour, coconut flour, baking soda, sea salt, your sweetener of choice (monkfruit, erythritol, maple syrup, etc), cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves.

6. Add the dry ingredients to large bowl with the shredded zucchini, and mix well.

7. Next, add the wet ingredients and stir well.

8. Fold in any mix-ins such as walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, or lemon zest.

9. Gently pour the batter into the baking dish you prepared earlier.

10. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs when inserted into the center. Check starting at 35 minutes, and then every 2 minutes after that.

11. When the cake is finished baking, allow to cool before storing or adding frosting.

Lemon Coconut Cream Frosting

1. Use either a stand mixer or a hand mixer to whip together the coconut cream, sweetener, and vanilla, adding the sweetener slowly.

2. Use a spatula to mix in any unblended ingredients that build up on the side of the bowl or the mixing paddle.

3. Add lemon juice or lemon extract according to taste.

4. Use a spatula to spread frosting on fully cooled zucchini cake.

5. Serve cake, or store to enjoy later!

Enjoy your delicious, healthy zucchini cake!

How to make a chocolate zucchini cake?

Just add 3/4 of a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to your dry ingredients! If you find that your cake batter is dry, you can add a small amount of water, as needed. For a double-chocolate zucchini cake, add 1 cup of dairy-free chocolate chips!

Zucchini Bread Variation

To prepare this recipe as zucchini bread instead of zucchini muffins, simply make zucchini muffin batter and cook it in a bread loaf pan. Your zucchini bread may require a few minutes of extra cooking time to remove excess moisture.

Paleo Baking – Dietary swaps and substitutions

Easily adaptable to many different foods. There are even suggestions for substitutions in cases where the ingredients haven’t been available.

Best Frosting for Zucchini Cake

This low-carb paleo baking zucchini cake can be made with a dairy free lemon coconut cream frosting, or my favorite Keto Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.  You could also do a chocolate frosting by adding  1/4 cup of cocoa powder to the frosting recipe. Be sure to refrigerate the zucchini cake if you make a cream cheese frosting, as it will soften at room temperature.

Storage

Paleo baking such as this zucchini cake contains moisture and is free of preservatives, so to preserve freshness, you need to place it in an airtight sealed container, and keep it in the fridge. When storing zucchini cake in the refrigerator, it is best if you eat it within a week or less, while it is still fresh.

The cake can also be sliced and stored in the freezer for longer term storage.  When stored in the freezer, the cake will last for about 2-3 months.

To thaw, simply place the cake in the fridge overnight or for a few hours before serving. Or, pop it in the oven at a low temperature (300 degrees F) for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.

This zucchini cake is best served fresh, but will still taste delicious even after it’s been stored.

Enjoy!

Similar Recipes

If your zucchini cakes were a hit and you want to try more zucchini paleo baking recipes, consider zucchini bread, zucchini brownies, zucchini banana muffins, or chocolate zucchini muffins.

To make your baked goods suitable for breakfast, consider using the sugar-free preparation for a healthy start to your day. That way, you can still have a sweet baked good–whether zucchini cake, zucchini muffins, zucchini bread with chocolate chips, zucchini brownies, or chocolate zucchini cake–with your breakfast, without the potential downsides of sugar. And yes, you read it right: it is possible to have healthy chocolate cake

If you are exploring zucchini recipes to make healthy desserts,  consider adding chocolate chips as mix-ins or toppings to any of these zucchini recipes.

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