Zucchini Carrot Bundt Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Glaze
Zucchini Carrot Bundt Cake is an easy, homemade zucchini carrot cake topped with a tangy, sweet orange cream cheese glaze!
Most of the things I post are pre-meditated, but every once in while, an idea just pops up out of the blue and it needs to be acted upon immediately.
I was having some family over for dinner, and dessert was kind of an after thought. I didn’t want to go to the store AGAIN, and realized I had some zucchini. Not enough zucchini…but then, I also had some carrots.
It suddenly made perfect sense to combine two of my favorite veggies into one cake, and I got on it. It was one very spontaneous, pleasant surprise.
I adore both carrots and zucchini in baked goods, and I’m surprised that I never thought to combine them into one sweet treat before. You know I’m a fan of rustic cakes because I don’t have a whole lot of patience with fancy-dancy decorations.
Bundt cakes fit my penchant for the easy dessert complete with rustic charm. 🙂
As rustic as this cake is, the glaze with the toasted pistachio and coconut flakes makes it look quite elegant, which I love.
Elegance without time consumption = a happy me.
I almost added coconut in the title, but it was too long already. That means — you guessed it! — there’s also coconut in this cake, along with coconut oil.
I can’t seem to ever make anything these days without some type of coconut element in it, but don’t think that’s an apology.
There’s never an apology necessary for coco-nutty goodness, is there? 😉 Plus, the toasted coconut flakes on top are the prettiest thing ever.
This zucchini carrot bundt cake almost looks angelic with that bright white glaze in the sunshine, and I swear while I was photographing it, I thought I saw a halo floating above it? And a choir of angels began to sing?
Clearly this cake did some crazy things to me.
This is the same glaze that I used for my Brown Butter Hummingbird Cake (one of my favorites!), except I punched it up with lots of orange flavor. I added orange zest and juice, and was it ever delicious.
This zucchini carrot bundt cake was an instant hit — what’s not to love? You’re getting dessert with a glorious cream cheese glaze that’s even got some veggies in it, to boot. The fact that it’s easy makes it extra lovable.
I really do think the idea for this cake came straight from the heavens, too. 🙂
See my other cake recipes.
Chocolate Zucchini Coconut Cake by Two Peas and Their Pod
More carrot and zucchini recipes:
Zucchini Carrot Bundt Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup coconut oil melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup grated zucchini about 1 medium
- 1 1/2 cups peeled grated carrot (about 3 medium)
- 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
For the glaze:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 4 teaspoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
Prepare the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a bundt pan with melted butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place the grated zucchini in a dish towel and squeeze to remove excess liquid and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, eggs, and coconut oil until frothy, about 1 minute. Stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Stir in the zucchini, carrot, and coconut just until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the center rack of the oven for 45-50 minutes, checking for doneness after 45 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully use a knife to loosen the cake from the pan and turn out onto the wire rack to continue cooling.
Prepare the glaze:
- Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl with a handheld mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat until incorporated. Add in the orange juice and zest, and beat until combined. If you’d like your glaze to be thinner, add a bit more orange juice.
- Place the cooled cake on your serving plate and drizzle the glaze over it. Garnish with the toasted pistachios and coconut flakes, if using, and enjoy!
Notes
- Total time above includes 30 minutes cooling time for the cake.
- Leftover cake should be stored covered in the refrigerator.
- Cake is best served at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
45 Comments on “Zucchini Carrot Bundt Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Glaze”
Love this cake! I want a piece!
Thank you, Maria…and I love yours!
Marcie, this looks so delicious! I am a glutton for carrot cake. And the addition of the zucchini makes this cake so seasonal! YUM!!
Thank you, Renee! It was a first combining the two and it won’t be the last! 🙂
Wow this recipe has it all Marcie! I love that you made this off the cuff and it turned out wonderful – you can really tell how moist this is and I love the cream cheese frosting!
Thank you, Deb! This is what happens when one doesn’t have enough zucchini or carrot…haha Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂
Marcie, this looks AWE-MAZING. Seriously, as I was reading your description, my mouth kept watering and I don’t care how long the title is 🙂 this cake is definitely all that! I can’t stop thinking about it really. Pinned!
Thank you, Kristi! I really loved how this cake turned out — it was a pleasant surprise! I appreciate the pin, and have yourself a great weekend! 🙂
You know, I don’t think I’ve ever combined carrot and zucchini in a baked good! This bundt cake looks awesome! Love those pistachios for topping!
Thanks, Ashley! I don’t know why I never thought to do this, but I’m glad I only had one zucchini. 🙂
I would love a piece of this delicious cake. Love that you added zucchini, it’s like a mix between carrot cake and zucchini bread.Perfect!!!
Thank you, Kathy! I loved the combo! 🙂
I’m glad you acted on your impulse because this cake looks delicious, Marcie! Who know that carrots and zucchini would go so well together? And the cream cheese orange glaze sounds amazing! Such a perfect touch!
Thank you, Gayle! When I realized I didn’t have enough zucchini, I thought why on earth wouldn’t it work well with carrot? They’re the same rustic kind of cake, so I kind of had to try it. Luckily, it worked out! 🙂
This cake look so beautiful and delicious! I love this combination of flavors and those pistachios look so perfect.
Thank you, Cindy! 🙂
Yum! This looks gorgeous! I love the zing that citrus adds to desserts 🙂
I love the citrus “zing” too, Medha! The orange really took this over the top for me. 🙂
I love so many things about this cake, Marcie … the combo of veggies in there, the orange juice in the frosting, the fact that it’s easy to make and ‘rustic’ for people who don’t like to mess around with decorations too much (i.e. moi!)
Reminds me a little of a Hummingbird cake! 🙂
This kind of cake is normally how I roll the most….rustic. 🙂 It truly reminded me of hummingbird cake, which is why I really loved it. Thanks, Helen, and hope you had a great week! 🙂
This carrot cake is just a freakin stunner!!!
I’m always in awe of your cakes, Jocelyn, so your comment means a lot! 🙂
This looks beautiful! I love the orange cream cheese glaze, just perfect!
Thank you, Annie! That glaze was definitely the perfect finishing touch. 🙂
Bundt pans do make a special looking cake, don’t they? They remind me of growing up, so I guess they’re kind of retro. 🙂 They’re easy, and delicious, too, so that puts them at the top of the list for me!
Thank you, Juliana! That glaze really made the cake special. 🙂 Hope you had a great week!
Thanks, Mary Frances! Sometimes shooting from the hip works out really well! 🙂
What a great flavor combination! That glaze looks marvelous and I love the toasted pistachios!
Thank you, Christin! Pistachios are so pretty — I love how they dressed this cake up!
I love this idea of adding carrots and zucchini inside cake!! Gorgeous!
Thank you, Ami — I loved the combination!
I really like when I get to eat my veggies as part of a yummy cake! 😉 I puffy heart love the orange cream cheese frosting!
Isn’t that the greatest — and the frosting was definitely my favorite part! 🙂 Thanks, Jocelyn!
This sounds incredible! I have to make this!! I am seriously dying to try it!
Thank you so much, Rachel! 🙂
Way to go! This sounds like the perfect little treat!
Thanks, Jamie! 🙂
Simply wow! This cake looks absolutely scrumptious and I can imagine to be so flavorful and moist with all the zucchini and carrot!
Thank you so much! The zucchini and carrots definitely made this cake super moist!
Dear Marcie, It may still be morning, but I could go for a slice of this with my coffee. It sounds absolutely wonderful and so moist.\ xo, Catherine
Thank you, Catherine! 🙂
I am so glad you had carrots! I think it was a great addition to this cake!
Thanks, Nancy!
Such a genius flavor combination…this looks divine!
Thank you, Cathy! 🙂