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layer cakes

Lemon-y Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (from “Layered” by Tessa Huff!)

by: Amy on: Apr 19, 2016

Spring has definitely sprung in the last few weeks in Vancouver. Peonies are starting to be in season and I can’t wait to spend my life savings on them so I can put them on all the cakes!...

Review  or  Print Recipe

Spring has definitely sprung in the last few weeks in Vancouver. Peonies are starting to be in season and I can’t wait to spend my life savings on them so I can put them on all the cakes! To those of you who ask if I buy fresh flowers every time for these blog posts, the answer is yes. Why yes I do. So if you have any leftover flowers from a dinner party you attended or hosted (thanks, Nora!) or just have some extra flowers laying around, donate them to meeeeeee. I’ll give you a slice of cake (or two!) in return!

Have you guys noticed all the amazing new cookbooks that came out recently? I am exercising all the self-control I have in body to not put everything in my Amazon shopping cart. One of the cookbooks I have been most excited for is Tessa’s (www.stylesweetca.com) cookbook, Layered: Baking, Building, and Styling Spectacular Cakes. Nothing gets me more excited than layering cakes and it feels like her book was made just for me. It has so many tips and tricks on creating the perfect layered cake. To me, the best part of Layered is that Tessa has at least a photo for every recipe.

Tessa and I met up for the first time a month or so back to talk all things cake, blogging, and living (aka eating) in Vancouver.  We talked about how she sometimes she has to shoot her cake photos while carrying her son on her back?! She is incredible. The cakes she makes are incredible. The crumb always looks so beautiful. Tessa reached out a few weeks ago and asked if I would be part of her online release copy (*cue fangirl squeals*). She sent me an advanced copy of her book and all I did during the days after receiving her book was flip through each recipe again and again being in awe of all the perfect layers, delicate crumb texture, and fluffy frostings of each recipe. 

I decided to make the lemony zucchini cake from her book. The drippy lemon glaze got me all like *insert dancing lady emoji*. My first drippy cake attempt did not go so well so I had my fingers crossed the entire time right when I poured on the glaze. I’m not sure how to decorate a cake without using flowers so I went with an assortment of white flowers to match the frosting and the lemon glaze. 

The flavours of the cake are soooo perfect for spring and summer. I followed Tessa’s recipe for the cake but ended up with a three-layered 6 inch cake instead of a four-layered cake as shown in the book because I ate the fourth layer when it came out of the oven. Don’t judge me. Tessa’s lemon zucchini cake is paired with a goat cheese frosting but because I have stubborn tastebuds and am not particularly fond of goat cheese, I used cream cheese instead. I subbed the goat cheese for cream cheese in a 1:1 ratio and the frosting turned out perfectly. The frosting was pretty much Beyonce #flawless. 

Lemon-y Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Lemon Glaze

Makes 1 Four-layered 6-inch cake
By Amy

Ingredients

Lemon Zucchini Cake

  • 2 1/2 cup (315g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (150ml) grapeseed oil
  • 1 1/2 cup (300g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup (225g) grated zucchini, drained
  • 3 tbsp buttermilk
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 oz (115g) cream cheese, at room temperature, Note: Tessa's original recipe calls for goat cheese but because I have a palette of a 5 year old, I opted for cream cheese instead. I replaced the goat cheese for cream cheese at a 1:1 ratio
  • 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cup (375g) icing sugar
  • 2 – 3 tsp whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze

  • 1 cup (125g) icing sugar
  • 2 – 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp lemon zest

Instructions

Lemon Zucchini Cake

  • Preheat the oven at 350F and grease four cake pans.
  • Whisk together all the dry ingredients and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the oil, sugar, and lemon zest together on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time.
  • Slowly mix in the dry ingredients until the dry ingredients are no longer visible. Careful not to overmix.
  • Gently fold in the zucchini, buttermilk, and lemon juice.
  • Divide the batter in the greased cake pans and bake for 24 – 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 10 – 15 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a mixer, cream together the cream cheese and unsalted butter until mixture is light and fluffy. Slowly add in the icing sugar, one cup at a time. Add in the vanilla extract. Add in the milk, one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Lemon Glaze

  • Add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest to one cup of icing sugar and mix well. If glaze is too thick, add the last tablespoon of lemon juice.

Notes

Recipe from “Layered” by Tessa Huff

Layered: Baking, Building, and Styling Spectacular Cakes || Tessa Huff

Congratulations on the lovely book, Tessa! You can check out what other bloggers have made from her book with the hashtag #LayeredCookbook on social media. Layered comes out on April 19th and you can pick up a copy wherever books are sold!

more like this:

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Mermaid Oreo Funfetti Birthday Cake

Coconut Cake with Pineapple Coconut Curd and Pineapple Jam (Lactose-Free)

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Sweet Comments:

  1. Unknown says

    Apr 19, 2016 at 11:58 am

    Such incredible loveliness! I adore seeing all of your recipes and gorgeous photography inspiration! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Unknown says

    Apr 19, 2016 at 11:44 pm

    It's beautiful! Your styling is always lovely. I think this is such a delicious sounding cake!! I bought the cookbook after seeing all the gorgeous cakes out there today haha <3

    Reply
  3. Avery says

    Apr 20, 2016 at 11:28 am

    I just found your blog on my Recommended Bloglovin list and clicking on the link was the best decision I've made like this entire month. I love your blog and your stunning styling! You totally belong to the higher echelons of food bloggers amongst the ranks of amazing people like Hummingbird High, My Name is Yeh etc – your blog is literally that good!

    Reply
  4. Coco Cake Land says

    Apr 20, 2016 at 6:23 pm

    Oh it turned out gorgeous and looks so delicious! I love how your yellow dress matches the styling… hehe! Too cute. (PS when my son was a baby I baked with him in a baby carrier, too! Haha. Gotta do what you gotta do…) ^__^

    Reply
  5. Unknown says

    Apr 21, 2016 at 12:44 am

    I'm seriously impressed with your drippy action shot that even has YOU in it! Mad skills. Thank you sooooo much, Amy! I am so glad you participated and that we can even be friends IRL. Everett told me that he is super excited about you coming over to bake soon =) But for reals, I appreciate you taking the time to create this stunning cake. Thank you.

    Reply

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day two: sparkly matcha neapolitan shortbread cook day two: sparkly matcha neapolitan shortbread cookies ✨

the instructions might seem confusing, but if you watch the video to see how the different flavour layers are stacked, it will make much more sense! these slice and bake cookies freeze extremely well so you can make the dough now and bake them off when you want to gift them. (makes 40-44)

vanilla dough:
85g (1/3 cup + 2 tsp) unsalted butter, room temp
45g (6 tbsp) powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
90g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

matcha dough:
85g (1/3 cup + 2 tsp) unsalted butter, room temp
45g (6 tbsp) powdered sugar
90g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
2 tsp culinary matcha powder
1/4 tsp salt

strawberry dough 
85g (1/3 cup + 2 tsp) unsalted butter, room temp
45g 6 tbsp) powdered sugar
90g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp freeze-dried strawberry powder 
1/4 tsp salt

1 egg white
coarse sanding sugar

for the vanilla dough, combine butter and powdered sugar in a bowl. mix until smooth. add vanilla. add flour and salt and mix until no dry streaks remain. do the same for the matcha and strawberry doughs in separate bowls

place one portion of the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll into a 5 x 9-inch rectangle that is about 1/4-inch thick. slide rolled out dough onto a baking sheet and freeze for 10 min until firm. repeat this step with the other portions of dough

remove the top piece of parchment from each slab and stack the strawberry, vanilla, and matcha dough layers. cut the slab down the middle the long way to form two 2.5 x 9-inch rectangles. with one half, carefully swap the order of the layers (example: if the first half of the dough is stacked svm, swap the second half so it’s msv. this will ensure that same flavour squares don’t stack on each other). stack the halves. press the layers gently to adhere them. return the stacked dough to the freezer for another 10min

[recipe cont’d in comments]

#christmasbaking #christmascookies #holidaybaking #holidaycookies #cookiedecorating
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piped butter cookies are some of my fav cookies to make — they’re buttery! sandy! rich! they get a little holiday makeover and become the cutest rudolph rings when you add a little red m&m nose and antler details. topping the antlers with gold is optional, but adds extra sparkle and festive cheer to each cookie

(makes 12 cookies)
135 g salted butter, very soft
45 g icing sugar
100 g flour
40 g cornstarch
15 g cocoa powder 
1/4 tsp espresso powder 

in a medium bowl, combine softened salted butter with icing sugar with a rubber spatula until smooth

in a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt

using a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture until no more dry spots remain

transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip (i used wilton 6b)

apply pressure to pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. if you are having trouble piping out the dough, you can warm up the dough in the piping bag between the palms of your hands, or add an extra 1 tbsp of melted butter to the dough and refill the piping bag. leave 1 inch between each cookie

transfer the sheet of piped cookies to the freezer while you preheat the oven to 325f. chilling the dough will prevent the cookies from spreading in the oven

bake the cookies until the bottoms are set, about 25 – 30 minutes

allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely and decorate

royal icing
1 egg white
150 g icing sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract 

in the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium-low speed until frothy, about 1 min. with the mixer on low speed, slowly add icing sugar and vanilla. once incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form. transfer icing to a pip bag with a small round tip to pipe out face details

#holidaybaking #christmascookies #christmascookie #holidaycookies #christmasbaking
sorry i cant come to the phone right now, i’m to sorry i cant come to the phone right now, i’m too busy baking all the @nytcooking holiday cookies the day they’re released

@csaffitz bûche de noël cookies
@samanthaseneviratne ginger cheesecake cookies
@heysueli matcha-black sesame shortbreads
@ericjoonho lemon-turmeric crinkle cookies
@clarkbar iced peppermint cookies
@sohlae holiday rocky road
@vaughn rum-buttered almond cookies

#nytcooking #nytcookieweek #nytcookies #holidaybaking #christmascookies
presenting: this year’s 12 days of christmas coo presenting: this year’s 12 days of christmas cookies 🎄

matcha christmas tree cookies 
chocolate reindeer cookies
matcha strawberry neapolitan checkerboard
hojicha walnut deer cookies (with a bow!)
hedgehog hazelnut praline shortbread
pretzel shortbread mittens
earl grey decorated wreath cookies 
snowman cookie butter truffles
grinchy pistachio jammy liners
eggnog brûlée cookies
biscoff snowman cookies
chestnut hazelnut praline sandwich cookies

…dropping tomorrow! stay tuned!

#christmasbaking #christmascookies #holidaybaking #holidaycookies #cookiedecorating
preparing for the big weekend… ✨ a tradition preparing for the big weekend… ✨

a tradition that i started in 2019, this will be the sixth year i bake all of the @nytcooking holiday cookies the moment they are released on dec 1. i’m excited/nervous for sunday (i might throw up). here are the cookies from previous years, and a few behind the scenes where you can witness me slowly lose my sanity.

2019: twelve cookies by @susanspungen
peppermint stripe cookies
color-field cookies
peanut shortbread with honeycomb
gingery brownie crinkle cookies
marbled tahini cookies
homemade pocky
abstract art cookies
stamped citrus shortbread
brown sugar-anise cookies
thumbprints with dulce de leche
blood orange poppyseed window cookies
dirty chai earthquake cookies

2020:
cornmeal lime shortbread fans
sparkly gingerbread
vanilla bean spritz cookies
toasted almond snowballs
honey-roasted peanut thumbprints
black and white brownies 
fudgy bourbon balls
cherry rugelach with cardamom sugar

2021: the year that @nytcooking released 24 holiday cookie recipes and i almost passed out/away
m&m cookies
almond spritz cookies
peppermint brownie cookies
brown-butter toffee sandwich cookies
hibiscus-spiraled ginger cookies
guava and cream cheese twists
minty lime bars
chewy gingerbread
savory mixed-nut shortbread
tahini thumbprints with dulce de leche
chocolate babka rugelach
fruity meltaways
iced oatmeal cookies
spiced orange crumble cookies
peanut butter cookies
gingerbread biscotti
cheddar cheese coins
fig and cherry cookie pies
italian rainbow cookies
chocolate-cherry ginger cookies
hindbaersnitter
no-bake chocolate clusters
torticas de morón
piparkakut

2022:
white chocolate macadamia nut cookies
gochujang caramel cookies
chocolate hazelnut cookies
gingerbread latte cookies
orange, pistachio and chocolate shortbread
crunchy coconut twists
savory shortbread with olives and rosemary

2023: last year’s seven cookies which was done after ten hours of baking
gingerbread blondies
mexican hot chocolate cookies
rainbow rave cookies
lemon butter curls
matcha latte cookies
technicolor cookies
neapolitan checkerboard

#nytcooking #nytcookies #nytcookieweek #christmascookies #holidaycookies

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