Zucchini Cake With Raspberry Buttercream
THE FARMHOUSE
Last week was Daphne’s 3rd birthday and when I saw the first of our zucchinis getting big in the garden, I knew I had to make this zucchini cake recipe for her. I’m a huge fan of cake flavors that are unexpected and rustic and zucchini definitely fits that bill. Plus it’s so fun to bake with seasonal ingredients from the garden! The addition of the raspberry buttercream makes this cake a little bit decadent and oh so fun to decorate. Overall this cake is not-too-sweet, rustic, light, and summery and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
our Farmhouse kitchen // scissors, candles
psst: you can find all of my cake essentials like pans, parchment rounds, beeswax candles, etc on my Amazon storefront page here. I’ve also rounded up my essential tools and supplies below for baking layer cakes below.
This cake is inspired by the zucchini cake recipe in Tessa Huff’s cookbook ‘Layered’. I first made that cake 4 years ago for my nephew’s 1st birthday party and it was instantly a favorite. Over the years I’ve played around with the frosting, trying cream cheese, a lemon glaze, and then finally raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream (also adapted from ‘Layered’). You really can’t go wrong with any of them, but for a celebration I definitely like the added decadence of a buttercream. This Swiss meringue buttercream has a bright color and a silky finish. But it’s heavy on the butter and might be too rich for some. I like Swiss meringue because it’s easy to frost with and gives the prettiest finish, but if you’re looking for a less decadent, less rich option, something like this fruity buttercream would be better.
Zucchini cake is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about a kid’s birthday party, but it went over well. Two of our 3 little people loved it, and the third was so-so. To be fair, he was pretty jealous of the birthday girl’s stick unicorn and wasn’t too keen on anything at the time. When cousins arrived later in the week, I served the cake again to all 6 kids and they gobbled it down, asking for seconds. We served the cake with homemade raspberry ice cream but vanilla would have been equally as good.
Zucchini Cake with silky Raspberry Buttercream
Makes a 3-layer 6” cake (or 2-layer 8” or 9”)
For the Cake:
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour (300g)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp spices: use ground cinnamon, cardamom, and/or freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup vegetable oil (165g)
1 cup sugar (200g)
zest of 1 medium lemon
3 large eggs
2 cups grated zucchini, drained (about 300g)
3 tbsp buttermilk (try making your own with milk and lemon juice if you’re out)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream*
1/2 cup fresh raspberries (about 60g)
4 egg whites
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (250g) + 1 tsp,
2 cups butter (4 sticks, 450g)
2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Thyme Crown (optional)
Fresh thyme sprigs
6 small flowers, such as annual babies breath (shown here)
*note this Swiss meringue buttercream is really buttery and rich - a real celebratory cake finish. For a less decadent, less rich option, consider this buttercream recipe.
For the cake:
Grease the pans (I like to butter or oil the pans and then use parchment rounds) and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix oil, sugar, and lemon zest with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium for 2 minutes and then add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition, and scraping down the bowl.
Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients in two batches, stirring on low until just combined. Add the drained zucchini, buttermilk, and lemon juice and mix on medium until just combined.
Divide batter into the prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cakes cool on a metal rack for 10 minutes before removing cakes from their pans.
For the Swiss meringue buttercream:
In a small bowl, smash raspberries with the back of a fork. Mix in 1 tsp of sugar. Set aside.
Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add sugar and hand mix with a whisk until combined. On the stove, fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and bring water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Place the bowl on top of saucepan, creating a double boiler. Whisk intermittently until egg mixture reaches 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. Carefully remove the hot bowl from the stove top and place on the stand mixer with a whisk attachment.
Beat the egg white mixture on high for 8 minutes or until it holds medium-stiff peaks and the bottom of the bowl is room temperature. Turn the mixer off and swap the whisk for the paddle attachment.
Turn the mixer on low and add the butter in small batches, a few tablespoons at a time. Add vanilla. Once incorporated, Increase to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes or until buttercream is silky smooth.
Turn off the mixer, scrape down the bowl and add the raspberry mixture. Mix on medium-low until the raspberries are incorporated and the mixture is silky smooth again.
For the thyme crown:
To create the flower crown, create a circle with your floral wire the size you’d like the crown to be (I measure this out on the back of a cake pan). Secure the circle with a few wraps. Add sprigs of thyme to the outside and top of the ring a couple at a time, securing with floral wire wraps around the stalks of the springs. Keep adding springs and wrapping the wire all the way around the ring until the crown is formed. If you’re using them, add the small blooms in a clump, tucking them under the floral wire.
Assembly:
Once the cakes are cool, cut the tops off of the lower layers (you might have noticed I accidentally cut the top off of my top layer, so I ‘glued’ it back on with raspberry jam). Place lower layer on a cardboard cake round or on a cake platter and spread about 3/4 cup of buttercream with an offset spatula. Add the next layer on top and repeat, ending with the top cake layer. Add remaining frosting to top and sides of cake or leave the sides bare for a more rustic looking cake. Top the cake with the thyme crown, candles, or whatever decorations you’re using.
Layer cake supplies
I thought it might be helpful to share the essential tools and supplies that I keep in my kitchen to bake and decorate layer cakes like this one…
*links include affiliate links. We may earn a small commission off of your purchases at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting the Grit and Polish!
I’d love to hear what your favorite flavor of cake is! This one might just be mine…at least when zucchinis are in season!
