Banana Zucchini Cake
Updated Aug 16, 2026
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This banana zucchini cake is soft, moist, and filled with sweet banana flavor, warm cinnamon, and a little nutmeg. Fresh zucchini keeps the Bundt cake incredibly tender, while a maple cream cheese frosting and chopped walnuts finish it off.
Moist Banana Zucchini Cake Recipe
I make a lot of banana bread when spotty bananas sit on my counter, but this banana zucchini cake is a great reason to switch things up. It’s somewhere between banana bread and zucchini cake, only baked in a Bundt pan and covered with maple cream cheese frosting. So, obviously, cake wins.
The combination of mashed banana and shredded zucchini makes the crumb especially soft and moist. Cinnamon and nutmeg add just enough spice without taking over the banana flavor, and the tangy maple frosting is SO good with it.
If you have a couple of ripe bananas and zucchini to use up, this cake takes care of both. And no, you don’t taste the zucchini! It mostly disappears into the cake while keeping it soft and moist. It works the same magic in my zucchini brownies, which are another favorite when I have extra zucchini hanging around.
Reasons To Make This Cake ASAP
- Super moist. Between the mashed bananas, zucchini, and oil, this cake stays soft and tender for days.
- Easy to make. The batter is simple, and a Bundt pan does all the work of making it look pretty.
- Uses up ripe bananas and zucchini. I love a good zucchini bread, but when you’re ready to switch things up, this cake is basically what happens when banana bread season meets zucchini season.
What You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour: The base of the cake.
- Baking powder and baking soda: You’ll use both to give the cake plenty of lift.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: Ground cinnamon does most of the work here, with just a pinch of nutmeg for warmth.
- Bananas: Use ripe or overripe bananas for the best sweetness and banana flavor. Mash them well before adding them to the batter.
- Zucchini: Shred the zucchini, then squeeze out as much excess water as possible before adding it to the batter. This is important because zucchini holds a lot of moisture.
- Sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps keep the crumb soft.
- Eggs: Give the cake structure and richness.
- Canola Oil: Keeps the Bundt cake especially soft and moist. You can use another neutral-flavored oil if needed.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract adds extra flavor to the batter.
- Cream cheese: I use softened light cream cheese for the frosting.
- Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup adds sweetness and maple flavor to the cream cheese frosting.
- Walnuts: Chopped walnuts add some crunch over the frosting. You can leave them off if you’re not a fan, or use pecans instead.
How To Make Banana Zucchini Cake
This is an easy Bundt cake, but make sure to grease your pan well so the cake releases cleanly.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Beat together the sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, and mashed bananas until combined.
- Make the batter. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the shredded zucchini.
- Bake. Transfer the batter to a greased Bundt pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Cool. Let the cake cool before removing it from the pan, then cool completely before frosting.
- Add the frosting. Prepare the maple cream cheese frosting and spoon it over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, slice, and serve.
Do I Need to Squeeze the Zucchini?
Yes! After shredding the zucchini, squeeze out as much excess moisture as you can before adding it to the batter. Zucchini holds a lot of water, and leaving that extra liquid in can make the cake too wet and affect the texture. I usually wrap the shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and squeeze it well.
Recipe Tips
- Use ripe bananas. Those very brown, spotty bananas are exactly what you want. They’re softer, sweeter, and give the cake more banana flavor.
- Shred the zucchini finely. A box grater works perfectly, or you can use the shredding attachment on a food processor.
- Don’t overmix. Once you add the flour, mix only until everything is combined. Overmixing can make the cake dense.
- Grease the Bundt pan really well. Make sure you get into all the grooves so your cake doesn’t stick when you turn it out.
- Let the cake cool before frosting. Cream cheese frosting and a warm cake are not friends. Give the cake time to cool completely first.
- Leave off the frosting if you’d like. The cake is moist and flavorful enough to serve on its own, or you can dust it with powdered sugar instead.
How to Store
- Fridge. Because of the cream cheese frosting, I recommend storing the frosted cake covered in the refrigerator. Let individual slices sit at room temperature for a little while before serving so the cake can soften again.
- Room temperature. If you leave the cake unfrosted, store it tightly covered at room temperature for a few days.
- Freezer. You can also freeze the unfrosted cake. Wrap it tightly and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw it overnight, then add the maple cream cheese frosting before serving.
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Banana Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 cups shredded zucchini, squeezed, see my notes below
For the Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese or Neufschatel cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a Bundt cake pan with non-stick spray or butter, dust with flour, then tap out any excess. Set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, and mashed banana with an electric mixer until combined.
- Combine. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and continue mixing on medium-low until well incorporated. Using a large spoon, stir in the shredded zucchini.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan, smooth out the top, then bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Place the softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until completely smooth. Add the powdered sugar and continue mixing until well incorporated. Pour in the maple syrup and mix until smooth and no lumps appear.
- Cool the zucchini cake. Take the baked cake out of the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes on a rack, then carefully invert it onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
- Frost the cake, then serve. Spoon the maple cream cheese frosting over the cooled cake and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Cut and serve.
Notes
- Squeeze the zucchini well. After shredding it, wrap the zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and squeeze out the excess moisture. This keeps the cake moist without making the crumb wet or heavy.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
My young girls adore this recipe. Although I don’t do the frosting and I only use 1/4 of the sugar & 1/4 of the oil then bake it at a lower temp for longer. My 4 year old also loves eating it straight from the freezer – awesome healthy snack! Great sliced with a spread of butter too.