Brown Butter Zucchini Coffee Cake
Updated July 08, 2020
Brown Butter Zucchini Coffee Cake-if you are trying to use up your summer zucchini, you need to make this coffee cake! It is great for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
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Pin ItIt’s zucchini season and that makes me giddy! I LOVE zucchini! I think it is probably my favorite vegetable. Please don’t tell the other vegetables, I don’t want to hurt their feelings:) I go zucchini crazy when it is in season and make everything with zucchini. I put it in pancakes, salads, salsa, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and I even make noodles and nachos! I can’t get enough!
I am always looking for new ways to enjoy my favorite vegetable and over the weekend, I made this Brown Butter Zucchini Coffee Cake. It is good, like really good. Like so good that you need to stop and make it right now. It turned Caleb into a zucchini lover and that is HUGE! He now thinks zucchini is the best vegetable ever, just like his mama! It is funny what a good piece of cake will do to a kid:)
I mean, how could anyone not like this cake? It is made with brown butter and we all know that brown butter makes the world a better place. Plus, it has a streusel topping AND a glaze! And it is made with zucchini, so you can eat as many pieces of cake as you want because the more veggies in our diet, the better:)
This Brown Butter Zucchini Coffee Cake is great for breakfast, brunch, or dessert! I found myself snacking on it all day long and it tasted good every time. There is no bad time to have a piece of this cake. And it is just as good, if not better the second day. Beware, it might not last until the second day, it is that good! You will want to eat it ALL the second it comes out of the oven.
Shout Hip Hip Hooray for zucchini season because that means Brown Butter Zucchini Coffee Cake! Make it again and again until you have to beg your neighbors to give you more zucchini. Enjoy!
Looking for more zucchini recipes? Check out my round-up of the BEST zucchini recipes!
More Zucchini Recipes:
Brown Butter Zucchini Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini, don’t squeeze out the liquid
For the Brown Butter Streusel Topping:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 pan and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, brown the butter for the cake. Melt the butter over medium-low heat and continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until butter turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Pour butter into a small bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together browned butter, Greek yogurt or sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and stir. The batter will be very thick and somewhat dry. Add the shredded zucchini and stir until cake is combined and moistened. Again, it will be very thick. Pour cake batter into prepared pan.
- To make the streusel topping, brown the butter. Melt the butter over medium-low heat and continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until butter turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Pour butter into a small bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature. In a small bowl, combined browned butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Mix together until crumbly. Sprinkle topping evenly over cake.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake is light golden brown. Let the cake cool on a wire cooling rack.
- While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until smooth and drizzle over cooled cake. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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Yes please. I would love it with a glass of milk 🙂
Hi, I don’t see any sugar used in the cake part of the recipe. Can this be correct?
There is 1 cup brown sugar!
I was just going to ask the same thing about sugar….
Yes, 1 cup of brown sugar in the cake part!
Love the zucchini in this coffeecake!
I LOVE the brown butter and zucchini addition to the coffee cake! Great spin on a classic.
Oh my! Love the brown butter in this coffee cake! Making this ASAP!
this looks seriously insanely delicious! I love zucchini season too, and am so excited to get baking!
I love zucchini bread and I love coffee cake but I never thought of putting them together before. Yours looks incredible!!
The best of both worlds:)
Love this, Maria! I think this should be on our menu this week:-)
Ohhhhhhh. This cake looks delish!! Love that brown butter!
You had me at brown butter! What a wonderful way to make zucchini cake even more irresistible, Maria!
Brown butter in anything is always a great idea! Brown butter zucchini coffee cake – yes, please!!!
I agree! I love brown butter!
Brown butter, streusel AND frosting??? Perfect to munch on all day long!
Yes and I did:)
This would be gone in less than a day!!
YES!! Looks amazing Maria!!!
Brown butter is great in everything! This cake looks super yummy!!
This sounds awesome!
Just wondering if I could use whole wheat pastry flour, if so what would the measurement be in Exchange for the all purpose flour? Thanks 🙂
I haven’t tried whole wheat flour, but I am sure it would work just fine. Use the same amount.
I’m a sucker for zucchini bread, coffee cakes, and crumble toppings, so this is like an ultimate win in my book. Oops, I think I just drooled.
Made this, this weekend and it was so yummy! My 4 year old kept asking for more “bikini pie!”
Ha! Love it!
This recipe looks so easy as well as delicious. I love Brown Butter Zucchini Coffee Cake and I will try it very soon. Thanks a lot for sharing such informative recipes.
Can this recipe be used to make muffins successfully?
I haven’t tried muffins, but I am sure they would work!
This cake is wonderful I used a Greek vanilla yogurt. Yummy!!!!! Thanks for the recipe
Glad you liked it!
You mention squeezing the water out of the zucchini through paper towel. I was confused, does that liquid go into the liquid park of the recipe for the cake or not?
part….not park…LOL
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
I came upon this recipe yesterday as I was looking for a way to use up the zucchinis I had. I just got done making it and didn’t wait to let it cool off to taste it and burned the top of my mouth. But, it was delicious even without the glaze on top yet. I made it almost exactly the same except I subbed regular vanilla yogurt for the greek. And had to add alittle bit of milk to the cake batter because there wasn’t quite enough liquid to moisten the dry ingredients. I added chocolate chips on top of the batter before adding the streusel. I think it would be awesome with finely chopped apples in it as well.
So glad you liked it!
We are gluten free family, so I substituted gluten free flour and it came out perfect! Yum!
Used “America’s Test Kitchen” flour recipe from their book “How Can It Be Gluten free Cookbook”. Best gluten free book I have found – now tied with the best (healthy) coffee cake out there – my teenage sons won’t know what hit their plates this summer. Just that it is GONE by lunch! LOL.
Thank you!
oh wow this sounds and looks so good. My absolute favorite recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
Can you freeze it?
Yes!
WhAt size pan
Wow! This is deliciously awesome. I made it twice in two days. Thank you.
Glad you liked it!
I tried this recipe last night and it came out very good. I did have to add about a half cup of almond milk because the batter it was too thick to stir – almost dough instead of batter. But the crumb topping is amazing!
My husband and I just placed it in the oven.. so far the batter was DELICIOUS. Can’t wait to have it with a glass of milk!
I am on my 3rd try making this. Any idea why the cake mixture is so dry I cannot even stir it? I resorted to using a mixer, so we will see…
this happened to me too! Did you ever figure out what went wrong?
I had the same problem. Added about a half cup almond milk. It wasn’t just thick, it was dry before adding milk. Looks good though.
The batter is dry, but the zucchini will moisten it up. Don’t squeeze out your zucchini, you want all of the moisture. The batter will be dry and thick, but when you add the zucchini it will moisten. It is a very thick batter because it is a coffee cake. I made it with one egg and two eggs and both work well. I updated the recipe to say 2 eggs, just in case that helps moisten it up for you. I hope this helps!
I love this coffee cake and tell everyone about it. ?I came back this morning to make it ?but for some reason I can’t see the actual recipe anymore. Help!!
I made this today and it was delicious. My batter was really dry and I ended up adding buttermilk so I could mix it. I don’t believe I added too much flour, but will try again. What consistency should the batter be before you add the zucchini?
I am not sure what I did wrong but the batter was too thick and the cake came out doughy? I triple checked and I followed the recipe exactly so not sure? Did this happen to anyone else?
The batter is thick, the zucchini will moisten it though. Coffee cakes are denser cakes. Every oven is different and yours might require a little longer cooking time. If the top is getting too done you can drape it with foil and let the center cook.
I just made this recipe for a meeting at work. I used Lite Sour cream and didn’t add the icing . Also used an 8 x 12″ pan. This recipe will be a staple….it was the moistest coffee cake I have ever made!! Delicious
Made this for a gathering today..it was great. Another pan is in the oven to use for tomorrows gathering. Yummy
I mis read directions and didnt brown butter for topping either time. Just cut soft butter into dry. Still turned out great.
Glad you liked the cake!
Always a fan of coffee and love anything with it. Going to try this way.
THis cake is amazing!! Delicious!!
Glad you liked it!
I never leave reviews on recipes no matter how good or bad they are but this is seriously amazing.. SO good! For someone who doesn’t bake (or cook) much overall it was pretty easy although it looks scary due to the ingredients and such.. So amazing. Go make it. Right now. I might eat the entire pan tonight.
Thanks so much for letting us know you liked the cake! Yay!
Brown butter makes everything better. I made this the other week and it was delicious. I had a bit of difficulty getting the zucchini to mix in with the rest of the dough which had become a pretty coherent mass on its own, but ended up getting there. The brown butter in the streusel topping was also a nice touch. Thanks for the recipe!
Omg this came out soooooo good! It’s moist, the brown butter flavor is fantastic, and the icing I have to stop myself from eating the whole thing!
Glad you loved it!
Looks delicious! What type of pan do you suggest?
My daughter and I made this coffee cake today and it was wonderful!! Allowing the butter to brown, gave the cake great flavor!!
I was just wondering how many calories are in this/macros? Thanks! Looks great 🙂
This recipe has become one of our family favorites!! thank you!
Apparently it is now my responsibility to make this for my family. It’s delicious! The 2nd time I made it I used an insulated cake pan. The cake was shorter, more dense, and the zucchini did not get as soft as it did the first time I made it. I’ll stick with the glass pan. How about using frozen shredded zucchini? How much? Do you drain it, as frozen is a lot more watery than fresh.
This is SO GOOD! As the author states, the batter will be very thick, but after adding the zucchini it will moisten up more. Because of the batter being thicker than usual you will have to spread it out to cover the 13 x 9 pan. Again, this cake is awesome with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk!
Excellent recipe. I added chopped walnuts to the streusel. Also if you mix the zucchini in with the wet ingredients it all incorporates very well with the dry. No need to wrestle with it on the end ,it mixes together very easy.
This cake is awesome, moist , sweet and very
Delicious . The cake is easy to make but it doesn’t last long in my house.
I think the key to this recipe is patience. Go slowly as you brown the butter, thoroughly mix the wet and dry ingredients (it takes a little while), gently fold in the zucchini. I made muffins that smelled heavenly, looked beautiful, and disappeared in an instant. Too delicious for words!
Does this coffee cake freeze?
Sure, you can freeze it!
Oh my goodness!! So good!!! One of my daughters helped make it. First time we had ever done anything with brown butter. I couldn’t even wait for it to cool! Inhaled my piece with a glass of milk! Yummy!!!
I Love, love, love this recipe! I find myself with a freezer fill of pumpkin purée from my garden and am wondering about adding pumpkin to it- how would you adjust the flour ratios with pumpkin purée addition?
Has anyone tried this with gluten free flour or baking mix yet?
Hi. I can’t see any coffee in the instructions or ingredients list. Please can you tell me how to turn the recipe into a coffee cake.
There actually isn’t any coffee in coffee cake, they just call it that because people typically drink it with coffee:)
This is amazing! I’m using up my zucchini and making a few for the freezer! Thank you!
You are welcome! One of my favorites!
This is sooo GOOD! Like the best ever. I would eat it everyday. My husband was like, WOW this is good cake! Everyone should make this!
Has anyone tried this with almond flour?
I haven’t and I wouldn’t recommend it. Almond flour is very different. You can use gluten-free all-purpose flour. I like Cup4Cup.
Made this today, it’s so good! I don’t often make coffee cakes, but the picture looked so good, that I had to try it. Definitely will be making again. Even my husband loved it.
Wow! Loved this coffee cake! This recipe is definitely on my keeper list. I had some cinnamon chips in the cupboard so I cut back a bit on the cinnamon in the recipe and added some cinnamon chips instead. And I added a few drops of coffee flavored oil to the glaze, just because I could. The results were an absolutely delicious coffee cake.
So moist and light…I wouldn’t have believed it for a zucchini cake. And they are right… the browned butter makes all the difference. Don’t skip that step. I felt better eating it because it was made with lowfat Greek yogurt (extra protein). Absolutely delicious.
I have been trying so many zucchini (I use cucuzza instead) recipes lately. This one TOPS all the cake recipes! Love the sophisticated subtle flavor of the browned butter! Si yu’os ma’ase’ for sharing!
This recipe, as written, is a keeper! Absolutely delicious. Moist, not too sweet. Not overly dense like some zucchini bread/cakes. Love the crumb topping, combines zucchini bread and coffee cake perfectly. Was a little hesitant to try my culinary skills with needing to brown the butter, but took it to an event and it was gone quickly. Making my second batch in two days. For those who dislike zucchini, give it a very fine shred and you’ll never known it’s in the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
This is definitely a keeper recipe! The zucchini are now coming in abundance! I made no changes to the recipe. It is delish!!!
I just made this, but added chopped pecans to the streusel topping. SO delicious!! This recipe is a keeper. I have lots of zucchini from my garden, so I will be making this over and over again.
Thank you, Maria! Great easy to follow recipe! I made 3 of these, kept one(it’s already gone) and gave 2 away to neighbors, they LOVED it! DELICIOUS!
Can you use Bobs Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour maybe. Or white wheat flower? Thanks
Yes!
It’s in the oven !!! Added 1 diced apple and some chopped walnuts to the batter. When I made the streusel, added chopped walnuts to that too, along with apple pie spice with the cinnamon to tie into the apples in the cake .
This really is amazingly wonderful! I even skipped browning the butter. My daughter said it’s the best thing I ever made 🙂
Best cake I’ve ever made. I made it for friends coming over and we were all so impressed by it. Great recipe!
I made this today; the flavor was fantastic but mine was super dense. My kids loved it but my husband and I could tell something was off. I am trying to figure out what I did wrong…I think I got impatient and added the brown butter before it was completely cooled down to room temp. Would that possibly impact the baking soda/powder and prevent rising? Thanks!
Possibly?? Did you over mix?? Did you use fresh baking soda/powder??
Absolutely delicious. I have never browned butter before – and still not sure I did it correctly, but the end result was excellent. Like someone recommended – I added the zucchini with the wet ingredients, and then the dry. I skipped the icing. Also wondering why we couldn’t brown the butter for both parts of the recipe at the same time – and divide it as needed?
Glad you liked the cake. Yes, you can brown it all together, just make sure you divide it equally:)
OMG my new go to Thanks for the D E L I S H !!
You are welcome.
This is a family favorite. My kids are always excited when they know this is coming out of the overnight! I have four boys and three are teens so you can imagine how often I am making this for them and their friends!
So happy you love it.
Could ghee be used for the browned butter?
I haven’t tried it but probably.
Do you have to skin the zucchini before shredding?
No, I never peel zucchini.
This is a fabulous recipe! It’s so moist and delicious!!
Easy and the best zucchini cake I’ve baked
made it this morning. had a piece while it was still warm, so freaking good. thanks for the recipe.
You are welcome! Enjoy!
This recipe deserves five stars! It’s the very best coffee cake I have ever made. I was looking for a new recipe to try out as I have Zucchini from my garden I need to use up. This cake is so moist and delicious. I decided to use my entire zucchini which gave me almost two cups ( a little more than the recipe calls for) I also mixed the zucchini in with the wet ingredients before pouring it in with the dry and that helped with incorporating the zucchini better. I made the glaze but the cake is just as good without it! Thank you so much for posting this! I will be making this all year round.
It is a good one. I am so glad you loved it!
I will be making this one again.
It’s so moist and flavorful. Love it.
Yay!
boy was this a big hit at my house. Thought we would eat half and freeze half. Wrong everyone loved it then I said there is greek yogurt and zucchini in and they ate more. Our little dog doesn’t like sweets she ate some si try it