This Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Coffee Cake is a traditional coffee cake, but with zucchini to make it healthier, topped with crunchy cinnamon sugar.
I love zucchini. I find it to be such a versatile vegetable. Since they don't have a strong flavor of their own, you can add them to so many different foods. You can bake with them, cook with them, shred them up, add them to sauces and so many more things.
No matter how many zucchinis I'm presented with (even the supersized garden ones), I always find a way to use them. They are just so versatile! You can just as easily make tacos out of them as you can throw them in a cake. Today, we're making Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Coffee Cake.
When I was a teenager, my family had a brief love affair with a Krusteaz cinnamon streusel coffee cake mix. Costco carried it for awhile, and we bought it often. I liked it a lot.
Every once in a while I still think of that cake mix. Then I realized that I can just as easily make it from scratch, and even hide some vegetables in it.
This Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Coffee Cake definitely reminds me of that delicious cake mix. It has the same sticky cinnamon sugar layer in the middle and the same crunchy cinnamon sugar layer on top.
And don't tell my kids, but those little green flecks that you can just barely see (and definitely can't taste) are shredded bits of zucchini.
Just kidding. My kids can always tell when I hide veggies in their desserts. Luckily, those desserts are delicious enough that they usually eat them anyway.
Want more zucchini baking recipes?
Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Coffee Cake Nutrition Notes:
The nutrition info in the recipe below is calculated using 1% milk and 2% Greek yogurt. If you use something different, it will slightly affect the nutrition info.
Omitting whole wheat flour will slightly reduce fiber. The nutrition info is for fairly large pieces. Cut the cake into smaller pieces to reduce calories. The cake freezes well.
Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Coffee Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Streusel
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cake
- 2 cups shredded zucchini (from 1 medium zucchini)
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour (see note)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Streusel
- Add 1 cup brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse together until the mixture resembles sand. Set aside.
Cake
- Toss 2 cups shredded zucchini with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Let it sit in a small colander to drain for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. When it's done, place it in a clean towel and squeeze the remaining liquid out.
- Meanwhile, grease a 9x13" rectangular baking pan and heat the oven to 325°F.
- Whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, ⅓ cup canola oil, ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, ½ cup milk, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture until just barely incorporated. Fold in the drained 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
Nutrition
Leave a Reply