Orange Zucchini Cake with Orange Frosting

OH HELLO. I basically made you sunshine in a cake. Seriously. She’s bright, beautiful, and a guaranteed mood booster. No SPF required.

There’s nothing I love more than the flavor of orange in a baked good – no joke, I’m obsessed. The scent and smell of sweet oranges are just my favorite, and this orange zucchini cake might just top any orange desserts I’ve ever made. There’s fresh orange juice and zest baked right into the cake, plus shredded vitamin-packed zucchini and creamy orange ginger siggi’s yogurt for extra moisture. The cake itself has the perfect, flavorful-yet-not-too-sweet taste, then the fluffy orange frosting brings together all of that sunshine goodness that tastes like a creamsicle. 

YO GIRL DID IT AGAIN.

Looking for a dessert to impress friends and family at your next BBQ? This is IT. It just so happens to be gluten free and is easily made dairy free, so it’s great for sharing with a crowd. I know you’ll love this one!

Orange + zucchini = a match made in dessert heaven

Okay not only is this cake gorgeous and absolutely delicious, but it’s also:

• Easy to make: right in one bowl and one baking pan. You’re welcome.
• Gluten free: by using a mix of almond flour and gluten free oat flour.
• Perfectly moist: thanks to shredded zucchini and my fav siggi’s yogurt. You must know by now that my love for siggi’s runs deep and it’s one of my fav ingredients to bake with! It has more protein than sugar per cup and the orange ginger flavor that I used adds even more bright orange flavor to the cake.
• Naturally sweetened with honey: this cake uses honey as the natural sweetener and it’s truly so perfect when paired with the flavor of orange and slight hint of almond.

Everything you’ll need to make this orange zucchini cake

Get ready to fall in love with the bright, perfectly sweet flavors in this orange zucchini cake. It’s gluten free, naturally sweetened, and easily dairy free, too! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

• Zucchini: that’s right, we’re baking this cake up with one of my fav veggies. You won’t be able to taste the zucchini at all – it just adds moisture so that we don’t need to add any oil.
• Eggs: you’ll need 2 eggs in this orange zucchini cake.
• Sweetener: as mentioned, we’re naturally sweetening this cake with honey! You can also use pure maple syrup, but I prefer honey here.
• Orange: we’re using both fresh orange juice and zest to get the best orange flavor.
• Yogurt: as I mentioned, I used their new orange ginger yogurt flavor for even more delicious orange flavor, moisture, and a boost of protein because why not.
• Flours: you’ll need both blanched almond flour and oat flour for the perfect texture and to keep the cake gluten free. Learn how to make your own oat flour here.
• Baking staples: don’t forget the baking soda, salt, vanilla extract and almond extract (the best way to bring out the orange flavor!)
• For the frosting: that luxurious orange frosting is made with butter, powdered sugar, orange juice & zest, and vanilla. You’ll be licking the frosting straight from the spoon, I promise.

Recommended ingredient swaps

As always, I highly suggest baking this orange zucchini cake as written so that you get the best results. I know I’ll get questions about substitutions, so here’s what I can recommend trying:

• To make dairy free: simply use the siggi’s plant-based cups! The vanilla flavor would be perfect here. You’ll also want to use a vegan buttery stick for the frosting.
• To make vegan: please note that I have not tested this recipe with flax eggs, but let me know in the comments if you do! I also recommended switching the honey to maple syrup to make it a true vegan cake. And don’t forget to use siggi’s plant-based yogurt.

Chocolate lovers: this is for you

If you love orange and chocolate together (like in this bread recipe) try adding 1/2 heaping cup chocolate chips (mini chocolate chips would be perfect) right into the orange zucchini cake batter! You’ll get wonderful hints of chocolate in every bite. OMG.

Can I use a different flour?

• I cannot recommend a flour substitution for the almond flour in this recipe as the ingredient ratios will be much different and almond flour provides fat in this recipe to keep it fluffy and moist. Please keep as-is for the best results.
• As a reminder, you can easily make your own oat flour at home with this tutorial!
• If you want to replace the oat flour: I do think all-purpose flour or a GF all purpose flour would work okay in this recipe. 

Don’t forget these tips when baking with zucchini

• Use the small side of your grater so that you get perfect shreds of zucchini. No one will be able to tell there’s a veggie in this cake! A simple cheese grater will also work well.
• Shred the zucchini first, measure it out, then squeeze off excess moisture and continue with the recipe.
• Squeeze out your zucchini shreds as much as possible using a cheesecloth, clean dish towel or paper towel to get all of the excess liquid out. This is VERY important so that the orange zucchini cake has the right texture.
• Feel free to shred a bunch of zucchini and freeze it for later! Follow my tips and tricks here.

How to store this orange zucchini cake

Feel free to keep this gluten free orange zucchini cake covered at room temperature for about a day or so, then place it in the fridge covered for 5 days.

Can I freeze it?

Absolutely! I’d recommend freezing this orange zucchini cake with or without frosting. Here’s how:

1. Let the cake cool (and frost if desired) then wrap it well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
2. Place the full cake in a zip-top freezer bag.
3. To serve it, thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter until at room temp. Make sure the cake is at room temp before adding the orange frosting (if it doesn’t have it yet) and serving.

More delicious ways to use siggi’s yogurt

Get all of my recipes using yogurt here!

I hope you love this amazing orange zucchini cake! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!