Zucchini Spice Cake (Czech Cuketový perník)

Zucchini Spice Cake (Czech Cuketový perník)

Zucchini spice cake is one of the best ways to use zucchini: a light, moist sheet cake flavored with a homemade Czech gingerbread spice blend. The spice mix is included in the recipe.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Czech zucchini cake, zucchini spice cake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings

Calories 300kcal

Author Petra Kupská

Equipment

electric coffee grinder (dedicated to spices)
coarse sieve
box grater
9x13-inch sheet pan

Ingredients

Gingerbread spice blend:

1 star anise
½ teaspoon cloves whole
½ teaspoon allspice whole berries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder unsweetened, ideally Dutch-process
1 Tablespoon lemon zest freshly grated

Zucchini batter:

2 medium zucchini 1 zucchini ≈ 7 oz (200 g)
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs at room temperature
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
½ cup sunflower oil canola
1-2 Tablespoon milk optional, only if the batter is too thick to spread

For the pan and serving:

½ Tablespoon butter or other solid fat, to grease the pan
2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs fine, to dust the pan; or line it with parchment paper
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar to dust the baked cake

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Grind 1 star anise, ½ teaspoon cloves, and ½ teaspoon allspice in a clean electric grinder dedicated to spices. Sift the blend through a coarse sieve and grind any larger pieces once more.
Preheat the oven to 340 °F. Grease a 9x13-inch sheet pan with ½ Tablespoon butter and dust it with 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs , or line it with parchment paper.
Peel 2 medium zucchini; if it is overgrown, cut it lengthwise and scoop out the tough seeds. Grate it finely on the small holes of a grater into a bowl and keep all the juice.
In a large bowl, combine 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder , 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, the ground spice blend, and 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.
With an electric mixer on high speed, beat 3 eggs, adding 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar gradually, until the mixture is a pale, airy foam; this takes a good 5 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, work ½ cup sunflower oil into the egg foam in a few additions, then the dry mixture the same way. Finally, stir in the grated zucchini with its juice. Only if the batter is too thick to spread, add 1-2 Tablespoon milk.
Pour the batter onto the prepared pan, smooth the surface, and bake for about 35 minutes. Insert a wooden toothpick into the middle; when it comes out dry, the cake is done.
Before serving, dust the surface with 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar.

Notes

Oven: temperatures are for a conventional oven; for convection, lower by 25°F.
Batter: the zucchini juice is the only liquid. Add a splash of milk only if the batter will not spread.
Store: covered at room temperature up to 2 days, refrigerated up to a week, frozen up to 3 months.

Nutrition