Our healthy zucchini sheet cake bars are made with 100% whole white wheat flour. They are packed with fresh zucchini and flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and another little secret ingredient 😉.
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If you have zucchini that needs to be used up, and you want to bake something with it that’s not zucchini muffins, then this healthy zucchini cake is whispering in your ear, “make me”!
We tried a lot of variations of this zucchini cake, trying to get the flavor and texture just right. We actually postponed posting the recipe because we weren’t satisfied with it. After a few more tweaks and test batches, it is now one of our favorite zucchini recipes. We tried a few different kinds of sugar and settled on plain organic cane sugar. We decided to try almond extract in it and really like it so we put it in the recipe.
Fun Fact About Wheat 🌾
Did you know that freshly ground whole wheat flour has 40 of the 44 vital nutrients our bodies need to thrive?
What's Cool About This Recipe
- 100% whole grain: We use whole wheat flour to make our healthy zucchini bars, giving them a good dose of vital nutrients.
- Flavored uniquely: These zucchini bars are flavored with vanilla extract and spices but, we also added a touch of almond extract to give them a unique flavor.
- Snacking cake: Because this cake is made with healthier ingredients it can be a snacking cake, like our banana snack cake bars and applesauce snack cake.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flour that works in this recipe
- Fresh milled from these grains: Hard white wheat, Spelt, Soft white wheat (if you use soft white wheat you’ll need an extra ¼ cup of flour).
- Store bought: Whole white wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
- Baking powder: Use to make the cake rise.
- Cinnamon: This gives a warm comforting flavor.
- Nutmeg: Compliments the flavor of the cinnamon and adds a slightly sweet flavor.
- Salt: Salt helps intensify all the other flavors.
- Sugar: We use organic cane sugar or brown sugar. We tried this recipe with coconut sugar, but we didn’t really like the flavor of it in this particular recipe. Feel free to use it if that’s what you like.
- Eggs: We use large chicken eggs.
- Butter: Unsalted or salted butter works.
- Vanilla extract: We like using pure vanilla extract, something that smells good 😁.
- Almond extract: We love the almond extract in this recipe, it gives it a unique flavor that is different from other zucchini cake recipes. If you’re not a fan of almond flavor feel free to skip it.
- Zucchini: Fresh zucchini that is freshly grated will work the best.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations
- Add 1 cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips to the batter.
Instruction Photos
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Step 2: Grate the zucchini on the big side of a box grater.
Step 3: Add the melted butter, egg, vanilla extract, almond extract and the zucchini to the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Stir until well combined.
Step 5: Pour the batter into a greased 13x9 inch (¼ sheet) sheet pan.
Step 6: Bake at 350° for 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Serving Suggestions
These zucchini bars are delicious frosted for dessert, or served plain as a healthier snack.
- Frost with our less sweet cream cheese frosting or chocolate frosting or sour cream icing
- Dust the top with powdered sugar
- Enjoy a slice with a cup of coffee or tea
- Top your slice with a scoop of healthier vanilla ice cream
Storage
Store covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or refrigerated for 4-5 days.
How to Freeze
Wrap individual pieces in several layers of plastic wrap, place in a freezer safe container or bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw: Unwrap the cake, cover and leave at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until thawed.
Tips From Our Kitchen
Use freshly grated zucchini.
Be sure to measure the grated zucchini, if you use too much your cake will end up soggy.
If you can, we highly recommend using freshly milled flour or as fresh as you can get (the flavor and texture is so much better when it is fresh).
FAQ
No, you do not need to peel zucchini to use in baked goods. If there are any hard crusty spots on the skin then you can peel off those areas.
Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Healthy Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups (256 grams) Whole white wheat flour
- 1 cup (210 grams) Organic cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) Baking powder
- 2 teaspoons (6 grams) Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- 2 cups (350 grams) Packed grated zucchini
- ¾ cup (169 grams) Butter, melted
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) Vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) Almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.2 cups (256 grams) Whole white wheat flour, 1 cup (210 grams) Organic cane sugar, 2 teaspoons (8 grams) Baking powder, 2 teaspoons (6 grams) Ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon (3 grams) Salt, ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined.2 cups (350 grams) Packed grated zucchini, ¾ cup (169 grams) Butter, melted, 2 large Eggs, 2 teaspoons (10 grams) Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons (10 grams) Almond extract
- Pour batter into a greased 9x13 (¼ sheet) sheet pan.
- Bake for 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition
We calculate these nutritional facts using an estimate and they can vary drastically between ingredients used and measuring technique. So, they are not intended for medical use.
Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you!