Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Coffee Cake is a moist, tender homemade cake with layers of buttery cinnamon-brown-sugar streusel. Made with freshly shredded zucchini, Greek yogurt, and a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, this zucchini coffee cake is perfect for breakfast, weekend brunch, or dessert.
If your garden produces more zucchini than you know what to do with, this recipe is a delicious way to use some of it. The shredded zucchini adds moisture to the cake without overpowering its sweet cinnamon flavor. Greek yogurt also helps create a soft, tender crumb.
What makes this coffee cake especially delicious is the homemade streusel. Brown sugar, cold butter, flour, and cinnamon are pulsed together until sandy, then layered both through the middle of the cake and across the top. Every slice has a sweet cinnamon ribbon and a crumbly topping.
Start by tossing two cups of shredded zucchini with a little salt and letting it drain in a colander. Meanwhile, prepare the streusel and combine the dry and wet cake ingredients separately. Fold everything together gently, adding the zucchini last.
A 9-by-13-inch baking pan on Amazon is ideal for this recipe, which makes approximately 12 servings.
Spread half the batter into your greased pan, sprinkle with half the streusel, add the remaining batter, and finish with the rest of the topping. Bake at 325°F for approximately 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
For more homemade breakfast treats, try our Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Breakfast Coffee Cake, or browse our Bread Recipes for additional baking ideas.
Whether served warm with morning coffee or enjoyed as an afternoon treat, this Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Coffee Cake is a delicious way to turn fresh zucchini into something special.
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Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Coffee Cake
- Total Time: 1:00
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
Streusel
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cake
- 2 cups shredded zucchini (from 1 medium zucchini)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (see note*)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Streusel – Add the brown sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse together until mixture resembles sand. Set aside.
- Cake – Toss the zucchini with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Let it sit in a small colander to drain.
- Meanwhile, grease a 9×13″ rectangular baking pan and heat the oven to 325°F.
- Whisk together the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, yogurt, milk, egg, and vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture until just barely incorporated. Fold in the zucchini until uniform.
- Spread half of the batter over the bottom of the greased baking pan. Top with half of the streusel mixture. Carefully, without mixing the streusel mixture into the batter, spread the remaining batter on top of the streusel mixture. Top with the remaining streusel mixture.
- Bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
* You can omit whole wheat flour and just use an extra 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, if you wish.
- Prep Time: :15
- Cook Time: :45
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
No. You can leave the peel on when shredding zucchini. Wash it thoroughly first.
The recipe salts the shredded zucchini and lets it drain to remove some excess moisture. This helps prevent the cake from becoming overly wet.
Yes. The recipe notes explicitly allow replacing the ½ cup of whole wheat flour with another ½ cup of all-purpose flour.