The One-Bowl Coffee Cake I Can't Stop Making

When the tail end of summer rolls around, it means saying goodbye to excellent, juicy produce like peaches and berries. However, September also kicks off fall harvest, when pears, apples, yellow squash, and zucchini are abundant—especially zucchini.

Zucchini is one of my favorite versatile vegetables. I love to grill it, chop it up and saute it for pasta, and incorporate it into baked goods. In particular, I make this zucchini coffee cake every early fall when the garden yields more zucchini than I know what to do with.

It’s super tall, with a moist-meets-fluffy texture and notes of cinnamon and brown sugar. It’s everything I want in a coffee cake, and it’s ideal with a hot cup of coffee on a cool morning or packed on the go as an afternoon snack.

Tips for Making Zucchini Coffee Cake 

Choose your zucchini: You can use any size of zucchini for this recipe. I often stick with a medium zucchini, which offers excellent moisture. 

Whisk dry ingredients well: While whisking the dry ingredients, be sure to get rid of any large clumps, especially the brown sugar. 

Don’t overmix the batter: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Overmixing the batter will result in a dense texture. 

Zucchini Coffee Cake Variations

Spice it up: This coffee cake uses cinnamon, but other warm baking spices could be added to the mix. Add 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, ginger, or cardamom. 

Add chocolate: I love chocolate zucchini bread, and you can achieve a similar flavor here by mixing 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips into the batter before baking. 

Change the shape: Prefer a round coffee cake? Bake it in a 9-inch round cake pan.

Add a glaze: This coffee cake is a treat all on its own, but you could amp up the flavors with an easy vanilla or cinnamon glaze made with powdered sugar and a splash of milk.