Zucchini Cake Cheesecake is a dizzying five-layer tower made of alternating tiers of creamy cheesecake and pecan-studded zucchini cake, slathered with fluffy cream cheese frosting.
Carrots have firmly established their niche as a vegetable that’s allowed on the dessert cart. I say, if carrots are worthy of cake, why not zucchini? The zucchini cake layer in this Zucchini Cake Cheesecake has a carrot cake profile – moist, dark, and subtly spicy. But zucchini has more moisture than carrots do, and it softens so completely it just melts into the crumb of this cake, with none of that slightly fibrous chewiness of carrot cake.
Zucchini is also less sweet than carrots, making the zucchini cake layers less sweet than you might expect if you were to taste them on their own. But this is as it needs to be, because once they’re tucked in between the rich cheesecake layers and wrapped in frosting, everything falls into perfect balance. Each bite is a combination of sweet frosting, smooth and creamy cheesecake, firm velvety cake, and the earthy crunch of pecans.
To achieve that complex play of flavors and textures, there are a few steps in this recipe. (OK, a lot of steps.) Baking a cake and then a cheesecake is essentially making two desserts at once, and yes it is a bit of a project, although none of it is difficult and the most time-consuming part is waiting for the cheesecake layers to cool. And it’s so worth it when you carve down through that impossibly tall, snowy column and reveal the stripes of green-flecked cake and cheesecake inside – it’s a showstopper.
To make a 6-inch, five-layer cake, you’ll either need four 6-inch pans, or two pans that you wash out in between steps and re-use. (I use two pans.) Or, you could use two 9-inch pans: make one 9-inch zucchini cake and slice it in half horizontally to make two layers, and then one 9-inch cheesecake for the center layer. Your finished cake will have just three layers, not five, so it won’t have the spectacular height of the 6-inch version, but if you have 9-inch pans handy this is certainly an option.
Regardless of how many pans you use and what diameter they are, make sure to use pans that are deep enough – at least 2 inches deep – and line them with parchment to make removing the cakes a cinch. For the cheesecakes, which are stickier, I go an extra step and lay in a long strip of parchment to use as handles for removing them from the pans. See the recipe instructions for all the details on how to prepare the pans.
Making this ahead, what to do with leftovers, and a couple of variations:
- The baking and assembly of Zucchini Cake Cheesecake can be done ahead and in stages:
- Bake the zucchini cake layers a day ahead of assembly and keep them at room temperature, wrapped in plastic. Or make them even further ahead, wrap them in plastic and then freezer-safe zip-lock bags, and freeze for up to a month.
- Bake the cheesecakes and store them in their pans, wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator overnight.
- The entire cake can be assembled, frosted, and stored in the refrigerator uncut and uncovered – overnight or even a couple of days ahead.
- This cake seems to last forever. Store it in the refrigerator. I leave the top and sides uncovered to preserve the frosting; once it’s cut, I press a piece of plastic wrap against the cut edge to keep it from drying out. With this small amount of protection, the cake will stay moist for days. If you leave it for several days without cutting a piece, the cut edge may start to dry out a little – if that happens, trim off a thin sliver and the cake behind it will still be moist. I’ve kept this cake for five days and enjoyed it just as much on day five – it probably could have gone longer.
- Don’t freeze the cake once it’s been assembled and frosted.
- What if you aren’t up for making both cake and cheesecake? The zucchini cake makes a delicious layer cake simply frosted with the cream cheese frosting. Or you could even skip the frosting and enjoy the zucchini cake unadorned as a snack cake – great for a picnic, after-school snack, or even breakfast.
To see this cake as part of a delicious, high-summer, Italian-themed menu, visit the post for Saturday July 18, 2020.
Zucchini Cake Cheesecake
To make a 6-inch, five-layer cake you'll need two or four 6-inch cake pans that are at least 2 inches deep. To make a 9-inch, three-layer cake, use two 9-inch pans: bake one pan of zucchini cake, and cut it in half horizontally to make two layers, then stack with the cheesecake layer in the middle (Step 14).
Ingredients
- Soft unsalted butter for the pans
- For the zucchini cake:
- 1 2/3 cups (7 1/8 ounces or 200 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon Morton’s)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup canola oil
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- One 8-ounce zucchini, coarsely shredded (1 1/3 cup loosely packed)
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- For the cheesecake:
- 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- For the frosting:
- 10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups (12 ounces or 340 grams) confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ cup very finely chopped pecans
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2 Fold a large sheet of baking parchment paper in half and then in half again, to form a square 4 sheets thick. Put one of the baking pans in the center of the square and trace around it with pencil. Cut out the circle with scissors to make four, 6-inch round parchment circles. Tear off another piece of parchment 6 inches wide and cut it into two long strips, each 3 inches wide. Butter the pans generously. Line two of the pans with parchment circles, and butter the parchment. For the other two, lay one of the long strips of parchment across the bottom of each pan with the ends extending out on either side to make handles. Press the remaining parchment circles on top, but do not butter them. If you only have two pans and are going to be reusing the same pans for the cake and cheesecake, prepare them following the first set of directions (buttered parchment, no handles). Set the pans aside.
- Step 3 Make the zucchini cake. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder, and stir with a whisk to blend them.
- Step 4 In a large bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla and whisk until the mixture is blended and smooth. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the shredded zucchini.
- Step 5 Dump the dry ingredients and ½ cup of chopped pecans into the batter and fold gently with the spatula, just until the dry ingredients are incorporated – don’t over-mix. Use the spatula to guide the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly.
- Step 6 Bake the cakes for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are dry and firm and a tester comes out clean. Remove the cakes to a cooling rack. Leave the oven on.
- Step 7 Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of each cake to loosen it from the pan, turn the cakes out, remove the parchment circles, and set the cakes on the cooling rack to cool completely. If you only have two pans and are going to be reusing, them, wash and dry the pans, butter them, and prepare them for the cheesecakes with the parchment handles and circles.
- Step 8 Make the cheesecakes. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese for 2 minutes until soft and smooth. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add it to the cream cheese and beat the mixture on medium speed until it gets very light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Step 9 Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed, just until the egg is incorporated. Add the cream and beat on low speed just until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use the spatula to stir the batter, making sure there are no lumps. Use the spatula to guide the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly.
- Step 10 Bake the cheesecakes for 20 to 25 minutes, just until the centers are barely set but not dry. Remove the cheesecakes to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature, then transfer the cheesecakes in the pans to the refrigerator and chill them until cold, 1 hour.
- Step 11 While the cheesecakes are cooling and chilling, make the frosting. Use the same mixer bowl and paddle, no need to wash them, just wipe off any batter with a paper towel. Put the cream cheese and butter in the bowl and beat them on medium speed until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat briefly until it’s incorporated. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, start gradually adding the confectioner’s sugar. Once all the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat the frosting until it’s fluffy and smooth. Chill the frosting until the cheesecakes are cold.
- Step 12 Assemble the cake. First, trim the domed tops of both zucchini cake layers to make the tops level. Hold a large, serrated knife parallel to the top of the cake and gently saw across the middle of the top to remove the domed center. Repeat with the other cake. These scraps won’t be needed, so they’re snacks for the cook. Next, cut one of the zucchini cake layers in half horizontally. Hold the knife parallel to the work surface and place it against the edge of the cake, halfway up the side of the cake. Gently cut around the circumference of the cake, working around and around the cake from the outside in, until the knife passes through the center of the cake, cutting the one layer into two layers of equal thickness.
- Step 13 To remove the cheesecake layers from the pan, run a knife around the edge of each pan to loosen the cheesecake, then gently pull up on the parchment handles to release the cheesecake from the pan. Remove the parchment circles from the bottoms of the cheesecake layers. If the cheesecakes have formed a raised edge during baking, carefully trim it off with a sharp knife so the cheesecakes are as flat as possible.
- Step 14 Place the top half of the split zucchini cake on a cake plate, top down and cut (middle) side up. Spread the cut side with a thin layer of frosting, using about 2 tablespoons. This frosting is just glue to hold the cheesecake layer in place, so you don’t need a lot, but make sure to go out all the way to the edges. Place one cheesecake layer on top of the frosting and press it down gently so it sticks to the frosting. Spread the top of the cheesecake with another thin layer of frosting, about 2 tablespoons, spreading out to the edges. Top the frosting with the un-split zucchini cake layer, pressing down gently. Repeat the layers, with frosting, then the other cheesecake layer, then more frosting. Top the frosting with the bottom half of the split zucchini cake layer, cut side down. Use the remaining frosting to frost the sides and top of the cake. Decorate the cake with the reserved finely chopped pecans. Chill the cake until serving.
