Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Bundt Cake
21 Comments
Posted: 08/12/20
Updated: 10/01/24
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Moist, tender and delicious Zucchini Bundt Cake with a cinnamon swirl in the middle that is topped with a cinnamon glaze. This is a great way to use up your garden zucchini this summer. The perfect snack, dessert or treat with your morning coffee.
One of my favorite cakes to make during the summer is this zucchini bundt cake. It’s so moist, has a delicious cinnamon swirl and it’s a great way to use up all of the extra fresh zucchini that seems to pile up this time of year!
I’ve been making it for years and when I first created it I borrowed the cinnamon swirl idea from my cinnamon swirl banana bread and the glaze from my cinnamon frosted zucchini bars. It’s perfectly spiced, perfectly sweet, and has a really tender crumb. You’re going to love it!
Why This Recipe Works:
- Serve it for breakfast, brunch or dessert!
- Perfect way to use up extra zucchini!
- Moist and delicious.
- Freezer Friendly.
Products Needed
Zucchini Bundt Cake Ingredients
For the Cake:
- Flour
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Softened cream cheese
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Melted butter
- Shredded zucchini
For the Cinnamon Swirl: You only need cinnamon and sugar for the swirl which you can mix in a small bowl.
For the Cinnamon Glaze: For the glaze, all you do is combine powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk together in a bowl. Wait to do this until after the cake is baked and cooled.
How to Make It
- To make the batter, cream the cream cheese and sugar together in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs one at a time to the cream cheese mixture, mixing for one minute before adding the next egg. Add the vanilla and butter and mix for three minutes on medium-high speed.
- Mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add the shredded zucchini and stir to combine.
- Place half of the batter into a prepared bundt pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top. Pour the rest of the batter over the cinnamon layer.
- Bake it for approximately one hour. Leave the cake in the pan for 20 minutes before turning it out onto a baking rack to cool completely.
Don’t Forget the Cinnamon Glaze!
Once the cake is cooled, mix all of the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl. You will want the glaze to be thin enough to spread but not so thin that it runs down the side of the cake.
Spoon the glaze over the cake. The glaze will harden as it sits.
Storage Tips
This cake will keep well for a few days at room temperature. Just keep it covered with plastic wrap.
You can also freeze it. If you do, make sure it’s fully cooled and don’t add the glaze. Tightly wrap it and it will keep in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw it at room temperature and then add the glaze before you serve it.
Pro Tips
- It will be a lot easier to cream the sugar and cream cheese if you start with softened, or room temperature, cream cheese. So be sure to leave it out for at least 30 minutes before making the batter.
- When you add the flour and other dry ingredients to the batter be careful to not overmix! Mix long enough so the flour is absorbed. Reducing the amount of mixing will ensure your zucchini bundt cake has a soft and tender crumb!
- For the zucchini, use a box grater or food processor to shred it. You don’t need to wring the zucchini before adding it to the batter – you want all of the moisture in the cake. I know many recipes instruct you to strain the liquid from the zucchini first, but for this one you don’t need to!
- If your cinnamon glaze is too thick you can thin it with more milk, but only add a small amount at a time. You don’t want it too thin otherwise it will just run off the cake.
- Make sure the cake is cooled before you glaze it. It’s it’s hot or warm it will absorb the glaze.
That cinnamon swirl in the middle is like a little surprise when you slice into the cake! Treat yourself to a slice with a chai tea or serve it for dessert with some Irish coffees! I hope you love it!
More Amazing Cake Recipes!
- My Chocolate Zucchini Cake is another great way to use up all the summer zucchini! It’s a delicious snack cake or dessert.
- Lemon Coconut Cake is an easy loaf cake that is bursting with lemon and coconut flavors!
- For a sweet fall treat, you have to try my Pumpkin Angel Food Cake. It’s so light and airy and perfect with a dollop of whipped cream!
- King Cake is a special cinnamon cake that is made for Mardi Gras and I show you how to make one from scratch!
Did you try this recipe and love it? I’d love it if you’d give it a rating below and comment.
If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Bundt Cake
Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Bundt Cake ~ A fabulously moist zucchini cake with a cinnamon swirl and topped with a cinnamon glaze!
Ingredients
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 c. sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 c. butter melted and cooled
- 2 c. zucchini shredded
Swirl
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
Cinnamon Glaze
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
- Cream the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing for one minute after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Pour in melted butter and mix. Beat for 3 minutes with mixer on medium-high.
- Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon until just incorporated. Add zucchini and mix.
- Stir cinnamon and sugar together in small bowl for cinnamon swirl.
- Pour half of cake batter into prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle cinnamon swirl mixture over batter. Top with the rest of the batter.
- Bake for 1 hour or until cake test done. Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes. Then turn onto a wire rack and let it cool completely.
- Mix glaze ingredients together in small bowl. You want this to be a little thicker so it doesn’t run down the cake. Add more milk if you want it thinner.
- Drizzle glaze over cake.
Tips
- It will be a lot easier to cream the sugar and cream cheese if you start with softened, or room temperature, cream cheese. So be sure to leave it out for at least 30 minutes before making the batter.
- When you add the flour and other dry ingredients to the batter be careful to not overmix! Mix long enough so the flour is absorbed. Reducing the amount of mixing will ensure your zucchini bundt cake has a soft and tender crumb!
- For the zucchini, use a box grater or food processor to shred it. You don’t need to wring the zucchini before adding it to the batter – you want all of the moisture in the cake. I know many recipes instruct you to strain the liquid from the zucchini first, but for this one you don’t need to!
- If your cinnamon glaze is too thick you can thin it with more milk, but only add a small amount at a time. You don’t want it too thin otherwise it will just run off the cake.
- Make sure the cake is cooled before you glaze it. It’s it’s hot or warm it will absorb the glaze.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1, Calories: 498kcal (25%), Carbohydrates: 78g (26%), Protein: 6g (12%), Fat: 18g (28%), Saturated Fat: 10g (63%), Cholesterol: 78mg (26%), Sodium: 245mg (11%), Potassium: 174mg (5%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 43g (48%), Vitamin A: 665IU (13%), Vitamin C: 5.3mg (6%), Calcium: 47mg (5%), Iron: 2.4mg (13%)
Jenn says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter? Since there isn’t any added salt in the recipe. 🙂
Julie Evink says
We used salted!
Marilyn says
Your yellow squash can be used just like zucchini. If it has a tender skin, you don’t have to peel it. I use it for refrigerator pickles with cucumbers and peppers, for several kinds of zucchini bread, for a baked egg and cheese casserole, and for zucchini crisp that tastes just like apple. I have found yellow squash and zucchini to be interchangeable.
Julie Evink says
Thanks for the tip Marilyn!
amie says
Delish! I made this into muffins with cinnamon sugar in the middle and on top (no glaze) and they turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
Julie Evink says
What a great idea! I’ll have to try that next!
Julie S says
This looks like a super yummy recipe. One question, do you squeeze the water out of the zucchini before adding to the mixture?
Julie Evink says
Oh this one is tricky! I did not when I made them but I know some people have if they have a super watery zucchini and it still works!
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Mommy on Demand says
Saw this on my Recipe Magic, and its baking right now and it smells fantastic!! By the way you forgot to add how much salt.
Can’t wait to try it!
Julie Evink says
Hope you enjoyed it!
Toodie says
My mother-in-law just gave me a zucchini today so I will be making this tomorrow. Looks delicious! Thank you for sharing a great looking and sounding recipe!!!
Julie Evink says
Enjoy!
Tanya Schroeder says
You should be proud, this is fabulous! Look at all those gorgeous bits of zucchini! I’ll take some zucchini if you need to get rid of them, but judging from your recipes, you have plenty of fantastic ways to use them up!
Julie Evink says
Thanks Tanya, if you were closer I’d toss some Zucchini your way!
Sharon Clements says
Yellow squash is good when it’s simmered in butter with some onion cut up in it. Also I have a recipe for squash boats that’s good–I don’t remember all the ingredients in it but I do remember it has onion, bread crumbs, and bacon….
Julie Evink says
Thanks for the ideas Sharon!
Jen Nikolaus says
I don’t grow anything because I would most definitely kill it. So way to go on your zucchini and yellow squash! 😉 I need to go back through my posts and re-do pictures too. My early ones are sooooooo bad! This cake looks absolutely amazing. I am definitely going to have to try. Don’t you love combining a few of your favorite recipes/tricks from other recipes and making something fabulous?! Love this! Pinning! 🙂
Julie Evink says
Thanks Jen! I always feel so proud when I can come up with something half way original, with that being said, if I actually googled this I bet I’d see the same recipe somewhere!
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
I think zucchini has natural steriods within its chemical make-up that causes it to grow like a weed and pump out dozens per season. This cake looks so good. I love the flavor combo.
Julie Evink says
Haha so true!!! Why do always plant multiple plants of it?!