Healthy Zucchini Cake (Gluten Free, Paleo)

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!

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 low sugar 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!

Recipe Highlights

Not only is this zucchini cake recipe healthy, but it has some pretty amazing qualities:

• gluten free & grain free: made with coconut flour & tapioca flour
• dairy free: no butter or milk
• low in sugar: lightly sweetened with maple syrup (or you can sub any liquid sweetener)
• moist and fluffy: not dry (I mean, no one likes a dry cake)
• contains fresh zucchini: loaded with zucchini, but you can't taste it

This is an easy cake recipe you'll want to make again and again. It's easy to prep, low in sugar, kid friendly and healthy enough for breakfast.

Ingredients

Here's what you need to make this 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 the perfect zucchini coconut cake! Dense, but moist and spongy with a subtly sweet coconut flavor.

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.

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.

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.

More Paleo Zucchini Recipes

Adding zucchini to baked goods and desserts is a great way to sneak veggies into your diet. No one in my family likes zucchini...but they LOVE my hidden zucchini recipes! Here are some more easy Paleo zucchini recipes you must try:

• Healthy Zucchini Banana Muffins
• Zucchini Breakfast Cookies
• Cassava Zucchini Muffins
• Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

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