Zucchini Spice Cake (Czech Cuketový perník)

Every summer brings the same happy problem: zucchini from friends, neighbors, and gardens piling up on the kitchen counter faster than anyone can cook them. In the Czech Republic, we have a sweet answer. Cuketový perník, a Czech zucchini spice cake, turns even the biggest overgrown zucchini into a cake that smells of freshly ground spices.

What is zucchini spice cake? It is a light and airy Czech sheet cake made with grated zucchini and a homemade gingerbread spice blend: star anise, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, lemon zest, and a spoonful of cocoa. The grated zucchini keeps the cake moist, so it never turns dry.

This is a true beginner bake with one step worth your patience: beating the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer into a pale, fluffy foam. The cake is done in about an hour, with 20 minutes of hands-on work and 35 minutes in the oven. Czechs serve it simply, dusted with powdered sugar. I do not grow zucchini myself, but friends keep me supplied, and I have learned exactly what this cake needs to succeed.

Jump to

• ➜ Petra's notes
• ➜ A little more about the recipe
• Czech pronunciation
• ➜ Ingredients
• Equipment
• ➜ How to make zucchini spice cake
• ➜ Variations
• ➜ Serving suggestions
• ➜ How to store zucchini spice cake
• ➜ FAQ
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

➜ Petra's notes

• Grind the whole spices fresh. Star anise, cloves, and allspice, ground just before baking, give an aroma that no store-bought spice mix can match. The fresh blend is the heart of Czech perník (gingerbread), even though it contains no ginger.
• Grate the zucchini finely and use it whole, juice included. The finely grated flesh melts into the crumb, and its juice is the batter's only liquid: no milk, no water, and no squeezing. Skip the paper towels other recipes call for.
• Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer for a full five minutes. Use high speed and stop when the mixture is a pale, airy foam. That foam is what makes the cake light.

I bake this cake every zucchini season, and it works every time.

"Such moist good cake, I need to make it soon!"

Petra C.

Cut into squares, zucchini spice cake is made for a summer potluck, a church coffee hour, or an afternoon when the grandchildren stop by. If you enjoy easy one-pan bakes, try the fruit-covered bublanina sheet cake next, or the tangy kefir sheet cake. And once apple season replaces zucchini season, my Czech apple strudel (jablečný závin) is worth bookmarking.

➜ A little more about the recipe

The Czech name of this cake is cuketový perník, literally "zucchini gingerbread." If that combination sounds unusual, it is worth remembering that vegetables have long had a place in Czech baking. For generations, bakers even filled sweet yeast pastries with a sweet cabbage filling. Zucchini is simply a more modern addition, keeping the cake moist while the fragrant gingerbread spice blend takes center stage. If you enjoy this cake, be sure to try classic Czech perník, a simple gingerbread cake often finished with a layer of povidla (plum butter).

➜ Ingredients

✅ See the recipe below with step-by-step photos and many helpful tips. Scroll down for the full printable recipe in both US cups and metric measurements.

• Zucchini (courgette in the UK, cuketa in Czech), the source of all the cake's moisture. Peel it, grate it finely, and use it, juice and all. An overgrown garden zucchini works beautifully: cut it lengthwise and scoop out the large, tough seeds before grating. Only if your zucchini is on the dry side, add a splash of milk so the batter stays spreadable.
• All-purpose flour (plain flour in the UK, hladká mouka in the Czech Republic), for structure and a soft crumb.
• Granulated sugar, beaten with the eggs into the foam that lifts the cake.
• Eggs, at room temperature; they whip lighter and airier.
• Neutral oil, sunflower or canola. It has no taste of its own, so the spices stay in charge. Skip olive oil here.
• Baking powder, for a gentle extra lift.
• Butter and breadcrumbs for the pan, greased and dusted the Czech way; lining the pan with parchment paper works just as well.

This spice blend (in Czech, perníkové koření) deserves its own word. You will grind part of it fresh:

• Star anise, cloves, and allspice, always ground fresh. If you cannot get them whole, use just the cinnamon, cocoa, and lemon zest below, and skip store-bought gingerbread or pumpkin spice mixes; the Czech blend tastes different.
• Ground cinnamon.
• Cocoa powder, ideally Dutch-process.
• Lemon zest, freshly grated. It goes in with the spices.

Curious what else Czech kitchens season with? Have a look at the herbs and spices used in Czech cuisine.

➜ How to make zucchini spice cake

STEP 1: Grind the spices. Put the star anise, cloves, and allspice in a clean electric grinder dedicated to spices and grind them fine. Sift the blend through a coarse sieve and grind any larger pieces once more. No electric grinder? Learn how to grind dry spices by hand.

STEP 2: Prepare the pan and oven. Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Grease a 9x13-inch sheet pan with butter or oil and dust it with fine breadcrumbs, or line it with parchment paper.

STEP 3: Grate the zucchini. Peel the zucchini. If it is a big, overgrown one, cut it lengthwise first and scoop out the tough seeds with a spoon. Grate the flesh finely on the small holes of a box grater into a bowl, and keep every drop of the juice; the batter needs all of it.

STEP 4: Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, the freshly ground spice blend, and the lemon zest.

STEP 5: Beat the eggs and sugar. With an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, on high speed, beat the eggs, adding the sugar gradually. Be patient: it takes a good five minutes for the mixture to become a pale, airy foam.

STEP 6: Finish the batter. With the mixer on low speed, work the oil into the egg foam in a few additions, then the dry mixture the same way. Finally, stir in the grated zucchini, juice and all. The batter should be thick but spreadable; only if your zucchini was very dry, add a splash of milk.

STEP 7: Bake. Pour the batter onto the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes. Insert a wooden toothpick into the middle of the cake; when it comes out dry, the cake is done.

➜ Variations

• Jam filling, for the more ambitious baker: once the cake is completely cool, cut it in half horizontally, spread the bottom with a thin layer of jam, and set the top back on. Ideally, let it rest overnight with a light weight on top; the jam soaks in and binds the two layers together.
• Lemon glaze: swap the powdered sugar for a simple lemon glaze poured over the top.
• Chocolate icing: if you are a chocolate fan, glaze the cooled cake instead of dusting it.

➜ Serving suggestions

Let the cake cool completely in the pan, then cut it into squares and dust them with powdered sugar. That is all a Czech kitchen would do with it.

For guests, dress it up a little: put a spoonful of jam or fruit purée on the plate next to the slice and add a dollop of whipped cream or sour cream. Dobrou chuť - enjoy!

➜ How to store zucchini spice cake

Keep the cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you plan to keep it longer, put it in an airtight container and into the refrigerator right away; it lasts up to a week there.

The cake also freezes well. Cut it into squares, spread them on a tray, and freeze them uncovered for about an hour, until firm. Then stack the squares in an airtight container and freeze fully, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and dust with powdered sugar only after thawing, so the sugar does not dissolve.

➜ FAQ

📖 Recipe