Vegan Zucchini Cake

4.92 from 12 votes

This pretty vegan Zucchini Cake with Orange Marmalade Glaze captures all the freshness of the season. The cake is moist and delicious with the delicate flavors of zucchini and orange juice, and walnuts add welcome crunch and texture.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Resting time after baking30

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 290kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Large mixing bowl
9-inch cake tin or bundt pan

Ingredients

2 cups zucchini, grated (About 2 medium zucchini)
1 cup pulpy orange juice (I toss some oranges into the blender and blitz them)
2 tablespoon applesauce
2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup walnuts (finely chopped)
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (can use whole wheat pastry flour or a mix for a wholegrain version)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 ¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

For the glaze:

¼ cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoon water (if feeling adventurous, use Grand Marnier or another orange liqueur instead)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix orange juice, ginger, applesauce, vanilla and olive oil.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until everything is moistened. If the batter looks dry at this point, don't worry-- the zucchini will express tons of moisture.
Fold in the zucchini and the walnuts.
Grease and flour a fluted bundt pan, tube pan or 9-inch cake pan. Scrape the batter into the pan and make sure it's evenly spread.
Bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Remove to a rack, and unmold the cake after letting it stand 10 minutes.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze by mixing the marmalade with 2 tablespoon of water in a small saucepan. Heat until bubbly, then brush onto the warm cake. Let the cake cool thoroughly before slicing and serving.

Notes

For a nut-free version, leave out the walnuts.
If baking into cupcakes or mini-bundts, set the oven to bake for 25 minutes and check for doneness with a toothpick. Bake longer if you get moist batter on the toothpick.

Nutrition