Zucchini Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I want you to take your time with this recipe. Enjoy the process and each lovely step. Read through the recipe several times and make sure you have all the ingredients ready and on hand. This is not a quick bread. This is a recipe to savor. Think of it as spending time with an old friend, whom you haven’t seen in years. You don’t want to rush it. Cherish your time together. Trust me, it will be worth it.

A stand mixer is a must have for this recipe. The batter is much too thick to do by hand. Also, you’ll need a strong mixing action to fully incorporate all the sugar and butter, eggs and cream cheese, so they are as light and airy as possible.

I’ve made this recipe numerous times, but I’ve never blogged about it. What was I thinking? (More for me, more for me, more for ME!! Oh, sorry!) It quickly became my summer favorite a few years ago and even now, I can’t see a zucchini without saying, “I want to make pound cake!” Some people think healthy options for fresh zucchini, but oh no, not me. I think, “Two sticks of butter, a package of cream cheese, two cups of sugar and ohhhhh momma, am I going to be happy in about three hours!” You can make yourself feel better and say “But it’s healthy! There are two cups of shredded zucchini in it!” Yeah, I tell myself that lie all the time. This is NOT a healthy recipe. It’s good old-fashioned, full fat, comfort food.

I did mention this recipe takes time, right? I hope so, because it does. That’s a good thing though. Some of the most elegant and delicious meals I’ve ever eaten, all required a significant of time to make. Why should dessert be any different? Don’t rush your food. Cook with good quality ingredients, take your time and make each ingredient sing.

In the interest of full disclosure, one of these cakes is in the oven as I’m typing. I wanted to capture everything I was feeling, as quickly as possible, and since the cake takes almost an hour to make, I figure it’s a perfect time to share with you! Of course, the pictures will have to be edited (if I can manage to resist not eating any of it first!) and added in later, but for now, rest assured in the knowledge that I am typing in full “Oh my goodness, the house smells wonderful! I can’t wait for you to try this!” mode!

The timer on my oven just went off. The cake is done! That means, in about an hour, I’ll be frosting this baby! Yes, I’m including that recipe too. You can’t have one without the other! Seriously. Don’t even bother.

I’m already dreaming of my afternoon snack: a thick slice of cake, a small glass of ice-cold milk and my toes wiggling in the sunshine, as I savor each bite out on the patio! Care to join me?

Ingredients

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan, set aside.
• In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer, softened cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition.
• Add vanilla and continue to beat for another minute.
• Lower the speed on the mixer to it’s lowest setting, and with the motor still running, slowly pour in the melted butter.
• Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until velvety smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Reduce mixer speed to low again and add the flour mixture to the bowl all at once.
• Beat until just incorporated.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to fold in the zucchini and incorporate the rest of the flour. NOTE: the batter will NOT be pourable. It should be extremely thick.
• Spoon batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• When cooled, frost the top of the cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

• place cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the cream cheese for about 1 minute to ensure it’s soft and pliable.
• Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the softened butter to the bowl and beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for about 1 minute or until thoroughly combined.
• Add brown sugar and molasses to the cream cheese and butter and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.
• Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla.
• Beat until almost incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl, including the bottom and sides.
• Continue to beat on medium speed until all of the powdered sugar has disappeared and the mixture is very soft.
• Use immediately on your bundt cake! If not using immediately, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before spreading on cakes. Frosting will last in the fridge up to 7 days, as long as it’s in an airtight container.

Notes