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    Home » Paleo

    Healthy Zucchini Cake (Gluten Free, Paleo)

    Published: May 11, 2021 · by Katie

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This healthy zucchini cake recipe is gluten free, dairy free and paleo friendly. It's made with a combination of coconut flour and tapioca flour, lightly sweetened with maple syrup and loaded with freshly shredded zucchini. This paleo zucchini cake is healthy enough for breakfast, but tasty enough for dessert!

    slice of zucchini cake

    The thing I love about zucchini is how easy it is to sneak into desserts and baked goods without compromising taste or texture. From zucchini breakfast cookies to chocolate muffins, I've found many ways that my kids enjoy eating this summer squash.

    And this healthy zucchini cake is another one to add to my list of kid approved, healthy treats!

    Top this cake with some coconut cream frosting, add a pinch of cinnamon and bee pollen and you've got yourself a fancy looking dessert that's still healthy and delicious!

    Why You'll Love this Healthy Zucchini Cake

    • gluten free & grain free: made with coconut flour & tapioca flour
    • dairy free: no butter or milk
    • low in sugar: this is a low sugar zucchini cake, as it's sweetened with just two tablespoons of maple syrup
    • moist and tender: this cake is moist, tender and delectable
    • contains fresh zucchini: loaded with zucchini, but you can't taste it

    This is an easy zucchini cake recipe you'll want to make again and again!

    healthy-zucchini-cake

    Ingredients

    Here's what you need to make this healthy paleo zucchini cake:

    • Coconut Flour & Tapioca Flour: the combination of these two grain free flours creates a moist, dense and spongy cake.
    • Baking Soda: needed to help the cake rise
    • Cinnamon: optional, but added for flavor
    • Salt: to enhance flavor
    • Shredded Zucchini: wouldn't be a zucchini cake without zucchini!
    • Eggs: eggs help bind the ingredients together. An egg substitute has not been tested.
    • Maple Syrup: used to sweeten the cake, but any liquid sweetener will work
    • Melted Coconut Oil: needed for moisture
    • Apple Cider Vinegar: helps the cake rise
    • Vanilla Extract: for flavor
    • Warm Water: to thin the batter and create the right texture

    All of these ingredients combine to create this deliciously dense, but moist and spongy zucchini cake with a subtly sweet coconut flavor.

    paleo-grain-free-banana-cake-top-view

    How to Make a Healthy Zucchini Cake

    You'll need two mixing bowls, a whisk, spatula and parchment-lined 8" x 8" glass baking dish for this recipe.

    First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line the 8" x 8" glass pan with parchment paper.

    Make the Batter

    In a small mixing bowl, combine the coconut flour, tapioca flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. This includes the zucchini, eggs, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and warm water.

    Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix using a spatula. The batter should be quite thick (see photo below).

    Next, pour the batter into the lined baking dish. Use the spatula to smooth the batter into an even, level layer.

    Bake the Cake

    Place the pan in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

    Cool the Cake

    After baking, remove the cake from the oven and cool to room temperature in the baking dish. Once it's cooled, you may transfer it to a wire cooling rack to let a bit of the moisture escape and to frost the cake.

    how-to-make-zucchini-banana-cake

    Best Frosting for Zucchini Cake

    This low carb zucchini cake is topped with a simple coconut cream frosting. All I did was whisk the cream from a can of full fat coconut milk (just the cream that rises to the top) and spread it over the zucchini cake.

    If you want to sweeten the frosting, add a tablespoon or two of maple syrup (or your favorite liquid sweetener). If the frosting is too runny, mix in a little tapioca flour.

    An easy way to spruce up this zucchini cake? Sprinkle a little cinnamon and bee pollen on top of the frosting.

    frosted-banana-zucchini-bread

    Storage

    This healthy zucchini cake is moist and free from preservatives so it needs to be stored in the fridge. Place it in a sealed, air-tight container and keep up to one week in the fridge.

    If needed, you may slice the cake and store it in the freezer. However, this cake is best eaten from the fridge within a week.

    slice of zucchini breakfast cake from side

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Do you peel the zucchini before shredding it?

    No, this recipe does not require you to peel the zucchini before shredding it.

    Do I need to squeeze the water from the zucchini?

    No, for this recipe you'll need the extra water that the zucchini provides. Simply shred the zucchini and add it to the batter.

    Is there a substitution for tapioca flour?

    This zucchini cake requires tapioca flour for texture purposes. The best alternative would be arrowroot starch/flour.

    More Healthy Zucchini Recipes

    Paleo zucchini bread with cassava flour.

    Cassava Flour Zucchini Bread

    Chocolate zucchini muffins with almond flour.

    Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

    Healthy zucchini fritters.

    Healthy Zucchini Fritters

    Print
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    slice of zucchini cake

    Healthy Zucchini Cake (Gluten Free, Paleo)

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
    • Author: Katie
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 40 minutes
    • Total Time: 50 minutes
    • Yield: 8" x 8" cake
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This healthy zucchini cake is gluten free, Paleo friendly and low in sugar but still tastes great!  It's made with coconut flour, tapioca flour, sweetened with maple syrup and loaded with freshly shredded zucchini.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Cake

    • ½ cup coconut flour (56g)
    • ¼ cup tapioca flour (32g)
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • pinch of salt
    • 1 cup shredded zucchini, lightly packed (130g)
    • 3 large eggs
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
    • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • ¼ cup warm water

    Frosting

    • ½ cup coconut cream (just the cream from a can of full fat coconut milk)

    Toppings (optional)

    • cinnamon
    • bee pollen


    Instructions

    For the Cake

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
    2. Line an 8" x 8" glass baking dish with parchment paper, set aside.
    3. In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  This includes the coconut flour, tapioca flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. 
    4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.  This includes the shredded zucchini, eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and water.
    5. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and combine with a spatula.  Batter is thick!
    6. Pour the batter into the lined baking dish.  Place the dish in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.
    7. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the cake to room temperature in the pan.

    For the Frosting

    1. In a small dish, whisk coconut cream until smooth.
    2. Once the cake has completely cooled, spread the frosting over the cake.
    3. Optional: sprinkle with cinnamon and bee pollen.

    Notes

    For best results, measure ingredients by weight (when given)

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

    Healthy-gluten-free-zucchini-cake-pinterest-image
    « Paleo Sesame Chicken Recipe (Whole30)
    Paleo Broccoli Salad with Bacon (Whole30) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katie

      May 11, 2021 at 6:18 am

      This is one of my favorite zucchini recipes! Hope you all love it too.

      Reply
    2. Jody Cairns

      February 15, 2022 at 9:41 am

      I have a question most zucchini recipes say to let shredded zucchini sit so moisture comes out. But for this cake we obviously need the moisture. Right ? I m curious 🧐 and I cannot have eggs. So I will use flax egg. So far any recipe I made with Flaxseed egg always turns out fine. I will let you know

      Reply
      • Katie

        February 15, 2022 at 2:09 pm

        Hi! Yes, I do not squeeze out the moisture from the zucchini - it's necessary for this recipe. Egg substitutes don't usually work well with coconut flour recipes. I'm curious what the results were for you.

        Reply
    3. Kieffer

      July 27, 2024 at 3:32 pm

      Hello! Wondering if you would suggest doubling for a 9x13?

      Reply
      • Katie

        July 28, 2024 at 5:51 pm

        Yes!

        Reply
        • Nynke De Vries

          March 03, 2025 at 1:51 am

          Thank you! Does is need to be melted??

        • Katie

          March 03, 2025 at 2:11 pm

          I'm not sure what you're referring to??

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    I'm Katie and I have a passion for baking healthy treats using real, whole food ingredients. On my blog you'll find a variety of sweet and savory recipes, all gluten free and dairy free. My mission is to make baking nutritious, delicious, simple and family friendly.

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