Recipe: Spiced Zucchini Cake with Spiced Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

I had wanted something good to eat after dinners and both Mike and I had seemed to want something sweet lately, so I went to work, searching new recipes, and found one that I thought sounded amazing and thought that Mike would approve of this one. It's a bit healthier than most cakes, and it's super yummy! I recommend this one! It doesn't take long to prepare, and you'll love bringing this to events, not to mention being able to say that it's from scratch!

Here's the recipe: Spiced Zucchini Cake with Spiced Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

For the Cake:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon minced crystallized ginger (I smashed mine into powder)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

2 eggs

1 cup shredded zucchini (roughly 1.5 zucchini)

For the Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons butter, softened

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom



2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions for the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350*. Butter or spray an 8x8 inch baking pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, crystallized ginger, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Combine oil, applesauce, eggs and sugars; add to dry ingredients and mix well. Add zucchini; stir until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Directions for the Frosting:

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, cinnamon and cardamom until smooth and creamy. Add confectioners' sugar and mix well.
Frost cake with icing once completely cool.

NOTES:

If the icing seems on the thin side, just add more confectioners' sugar until you get the consistency that you want.

If you enjoy nuts, pecans and walnuts, both pair well with this recipe. Simply fold them into the batter before pouring into the pan. (1/2 cup is plenty).

If you don't have cardamom or crystallized ginger, just omit them, but they do add a lot of taste to this dessert, so I recommend adding these to your spice racks!

Enjoy!