Zucchini Nut Cake

This is a close recreation of a lost recipe of my mother’s, a zucchini cake with a baked-in caramel nut topping, similar in concept to an upside-down cake. Kids of all ages love it, and it is sure to be a favorite during zucchini season!

Original recipe makes 1 10-inch tube cake

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, not packed
3 eggs
1 tablespoon water, or more if needed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

  • PREP

    20 mins

  • COOK

    1 hr 5 mins

  • READY IN

    1 hr 35 mins

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10-inch fluted tube pan (such as a Bundt®).
  2. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice together in a bowl. Cream butter and vegetable shortening together in a separate large bowl until thoroughly combined; beat in white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat eggs, water, and vanilla extract into the shortening mixture, followed by the flour mixture. Gently stir in zucchini and 1/2 cup walnuts. If batter seems dry, mix in 1 more tablespoon water.
  3. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in 1/2 cup brown sugar until it has dissolved and small bubbles appear in the mixture. Stir 1/2 cup walnuts into the brown sugar mixture.
  4. Spoon brown sugar-walnut mixture into the bottom of the prepared cake pan and pour cake batter over the mixture.
  5. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert over a serving plate to reveal the brown sugar topping.

Nutrition

Calories: 505 kcal
Carbohydrates: 59.8 g
Cholesterol: 83 mg
Fat: 28 g
Fiber: 1.7 g
Protein: 6.2 g
Sodium: 407 mg