Glazed Banana Zucchini Cake — With sweet vanilla pudding mix, ripe bananas, and grated zucchini, this cake is fall-apart soft and tender. It’s a snap to make with just a whisk, one bowl, and is ready to be baked in just minutes!
Best Ever Banana and Zucchini Cake
It seems that I either have no ripe bananas on hand or I have more than I know what to do with.
I made this cake because it was one of those times I could have fed all the monkeys in the zoo because I had so many. I also had a little zucchini in the crisper drawer that needed to be used before it turned into a limp noodle.
I decided using zucchini in cake sounded better than just, you know, slicing it on top of a salad.
The cake turned out to be falling-apart-soft, tender, and moist.
I cannot stand dry cake and between the stick of melted butter, the soft bananas, the high moisture content in zucchini, and the six ounces of Greek yogurt added to the batter, this little cake was as moist as they come.
And it is just a little cake, baked in a 9-by-9 inch pan. Although having too much cake laying around isn’t the worst problem in the world, I prefer smaller cakes since they’re eaten and finished up while still at their freshness peak.
Plus, variety is the spice of life and with large cakes, I’m ready for a change long before the cake is anywhere near finished, so I try to bake smaller cakes whenever possible.
I added one packet of dry instant vanilla pudding mix to the batter to turn this cake into a pudding cake. I just love the pudding cakes that are sold in grocery store bakeries and figured I could make my own and this cake turned out to be a close approximation, full of creamy and sweet vanilla pudding notes.
When it comes to banana cake, I prefer denser as opposed to light and airy, and bewteen the mashed bananas, the Greek yogurt, and the pudding, this golden nugget is definitely dense. I wouldn’t call it a lead balloon, but it’s not a fluffy angel food, that’s for sure. It’s a pudding cake.
I could have made it lighter by adding baking powder, but purposely did not because I wanted the crumb to remain more compact and wet, as opposed to drier and lighter. I find that as much as baking powder leavens, it also dries out whatever it’s added to and I don’t prefer that result.
Instead, I added just enough baking soda to get the job done, omitted baking powder entirely, and my strategy paid off because I got what I wanted in the form of a melt-in-your-mouth, rich, pudding cake.
The flavor of the cake is definitely one of banana, rather than zucchini. Zucchini is so flavor-neutral, otherwise known as bland, and is masked or takes a backseat to whatever other ingredients and flavors are present.
On the opposite end of the scale, bananas tend to dominate the flavor profile whenever they’re present, and they dominated this cake.
Likely due to the stick of melted butter in the batter, as I was shoveling forkfuls of this cake into my mouth, I couldn’t help but think it tasted like a banana-butter cake or a banana-based rendition of a yellow cake-mix cake, with the familiar sponginess and springiness that yellow cake-mix cakes have.
Sticking with a butter theme, I glazed the cake with a browned butter glaze that complemented the sweet bananas and pudding beautifully. If you’ve never had or cooked with browned butter, you need to board this butter train.
Browned butter adds a depth of flavor, nuttiness, boldness, and an intensity and richness to everything it touches. It brings out everything that’s good and right with butter to begin with. You can do it on the stovetop but I brown butter in the microwave and it’s a piece of cake. Pun intended.
If there’s one way to make fruits and vegetables taste decadent, a browned butter glaze on top of a slice of this cake is how. Just think about all the servings of fruit and vegetables you’ll be working into your diet by way of cake!
Banana Zucchini Cake Ingredients
For this easy zucchini banana cake recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Egg
- Greek yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- Bananas
- Zucchini
- Instant vanilla pudding mix
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Mini chocolate chips (optional)
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Cream or milk
How to Make Banana Zucchini Cake
This is such a simple zucchini dessert to make! Here’s a look at how the cake comes together:
- In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the butter.
- To the melted butter, add the sugars, egg, yogurt, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the bananas, zucchini, and stir to incorporate.
- Add the dry pudding mix and stir to incorporate.
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into a foil-lined 9×9-inch pan and bake until the top is set and golden, the center is not jiggly, and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of the pan.
- Allow cake to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
- While cake cools, make the glaze. Glaze just before serving!
Can This Recipe Be Doubled?
Yes! Simply double the ingredients list and bake the cake in a 9×13-inch pan.
Can I Use Cook and Stir Pudding Mix?
No! You must use instant vanilla pudding mix. Add it to the batter like a dry ingredient, do NOT actually make pudding with it.
Do I Need to Wring the Excess Moisture from the Zucchini?
I didn’t wring the shredded zucchini between kitchen towels to remove the excess moisture, but if your zucchini appears to be too wet you can certainly do so.
Can I Add Different Mix-Ins?
Of course! I added mini chocolate chips, but a different baking chip, chopped nuts, or dried fruit could all be used instead.
Tips for Making a Banana Zucchini Cake
I added just one-half cup of mini chocolate chips to the cake batter and I used mini chips because they sink less easily to the bottom of the cake than regular sized-chocolate chips do, but regular-sized chocolate chips will work just fine.
I didn’t want to overwhelm the cake with chocolate so kept it at a modest half cup of chocolate chips. I wanted it pudding-laden, buttery, and banana-ey more so than chocolaty. There’s just a enough to chocolate to complement the bananas.
However, you’re welcome to add more chocolate chips if desired.
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Glazed Banana Zucchini Cake
With sweet vanilla pudding mix, ripe bananas, and grated zucchini, this cake is fall-apart soft and tender. It's a snap to make with just a whisk, one bowl, and is ready to be baked in just minutes!
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (one stick)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 6 ounces vanilla or plain Greek yogurt (one standard-sized small container, about 3/4 cup; sour cream may be substituted; I use Chobani Vanilla Chocolate Chunk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 large or 2 small bananas)
- 1 cup coarsely grated zucchini (1 small zucchini)
- one 3.4-ounce box instant vanilla pudding
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (regular-sized chips may be substituted), optional
For the Vanilla Browned Butter Glaze
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (half of one stick)
- 1 cup+ confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoons+ cream or milk, optional and to taste
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a 9-by-9-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute.
- To the melted butter, add the sugars, egg, yogurt, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the bananas, zucchini, and stir to incorporate.
- Add the dry pudding mix and stir to incorporate (You are not making pudding; simply add the mix as a dry ingredient).
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and stir until just combined, taking care not to over-mix or cake will be tougher as the gluten will over-develop.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 35 to 38 minutes, or until top is set and golden, the center is not jiggly, and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center will likely not come out completely clean because this is a dense cake and both the gooey bananas and melted chocolate chips may prevent a clean toothpick test.
- Allow cake to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. While cake cools, make the glaze.
For the Vanilla Browned Butter Glaze:
- Brown the butter in a small saucepan on the stovetop, heating over medium heat. Swirl the pan or stir frequently for about 4 to 7 minutes, or until the sputtering, crackling, and foaming has subsided, the butter has browned and has a nutty aroma. Watch it closely so that it doesn’t go from browned and nutty to burnt and inedible.
- Or, brown the butter in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl by heating it on high power, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sputtering, crackling, and foaming has subsided, the butter has browned, and has a nutty aroma as outlined here. The same rules apply in the microwave as on the stovetop; watch it closely and start checking it approximately every 15 seconds starting at about the 3-minute mark, so that it doesn’t go from browned and nutty to burnt and inedible.
- Transfer hot butter to medium-sized mixing bowl and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Based on desired glaze consistency and taste preference, add the cream one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached, playing with sugar and cream ratios as necessary. (I only use butter, sugar, and vanilla in this glaze, no cream).
- Drizzle glaze over the top of cake before slicing and serving; or slice, serve, and glaze each piece individually. I use the glaze like butter and spread it liberally on the interior surface of a slice.
Notes
Note - Depending on how moist your zucchini is and the moisture content in your bananas, you may need to bake your cake for a longer duration than I did. Bake until your cake is done and cooked through, given your climate and your set of ingredients. Watch your cake, not the clock, when determining how long to bake it; bake until done. This is a very soft and moist cake, and is not like traditional 'bakery cakes' or a typical birthday cake. It is a very soft cake, more like a soft banana bread and it will never become a light, airy, bakery-cake kind of cake, no matter how long you bake it.
Storage: Unglazed cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or store glazed cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Unglazed cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 447Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 209mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 1gSugar: 37gProtein: 5g
More Easy Banana Cake Recipes:
Soft & Fluffy Strawberry Banana Cake— This cake is so soft, moist, fluffy! It’s packed with creamy bananas and sweet strawberries. It’s such a rich, flavorful cake!
Six-Banana Banana Chocolate Chip Cake — Yes, 6 bananas in 1 cake means it’s super SOFT, moist, and has robust banana flavor with chocolate chips in EVERY bite!! EASY and one bowl!
Upside-Down Banana Bread Cake — Don’t settle for making another loaf of plain banana bread when you can have caramelized banana slices on top of soft banana cake!! A decadent spin on banana bread!
Caramelized Banana Upside-Down Cake — This upside down cake is super moist thanks to the combination of sour cream, buttermilk, and vegetable oil. It’s so easy to make, and the caramelized banana flavor is impossible to resist!
Hummingbird Cake — A super SOFT and moist cake with bananas, pineapple, coconut, cream cheese frosting, and pecans!! Makes a huge cake that’ll feed a crowd!
Apple and Banana Bundt Cake – Apple cake meets banana bread with a to-die-for glaze! Best ever!
Made this today and it is very good. It is definitely moist! I did bake it for about 15 min. more than suggested time, it just looked to jiggly to me. The only change I made was to leave out the choc. chips and add toasted pecans (I have 2 pecan trees in my yard), I did squeeze the zucchini and even with the extra 15 min., the middle is more like a pudding but still very good. Would recommend.
I am glad you enjoyed the cake and zucchini can vary so much with the moisture amounts so you were smart to bake it extra, until it was done for you in your oven.
I too had tons of ripe bananas and I was tired of my same old banana cake recipe. I also just happened to have some zucchini I needed to use up so this recipe sounded great! I didn’t have any pudding mix on hand so just just left it out. I read the comments about it being too moist so I squeezed out the zucchini first. I would definitely recommend squeezing out the extra moisture. I used the recommended 1/2 t. Salt, but I would reduce it to 1/4 t. next time as I also reduced the white sugar to 1/4 c. and skipped the glaze as I don’t care for it too sweet. I was wary about using 1 whole tablespoon of vanilla, but it does give a nice flavor. Came out great! Moist and tender. I also love chocolate chip is my banana bread. Very nice recipe! Thank you! It’s a keeper.
Glad it was a keeper for you!
Averie,
I’ve done it again. I made another of your recipes!
This is my first banana/zucchini pudding, and it’s the best I’ve tasted! I can’t stop eating this! I’m a novice baker (made my first cake two weeks ago), and so I’m not yet confident to tweak the recipe for moisture reduction – more flour, squeeze zucchini, less banana, bake longer. I’ll just keep munching away with my flatmates.
Thanks for the recipe!
Regine
Glad this came out great for you and if you want to reduce moisture, you can wring the zucchini out like crazy in a towel or paper towels after you grate it. Adding less banana and/or more flour can require other changes so I’d go with the zuke option but sounds like it doesn’t need any tweaking and you all are happy!
Hi, Wonder if I should squeeze zucchini before mixing with other ingredients..thanks!
Sure, can’t hurt!
Fantastic recipe! I’ve adapted it to UK measurements and also to include carrot. It took a few extra minutes baking but turned out really well. Thanks for the recipe!
http://www.myfussyeater.com/courgette-carrot-banana-cake/
It looks great and thanks for making it (and doing the adaptations)! Love that you worked in some carrots, too!
this cake is a pain i made it and it looked done then i took it out and it droped and then i checked it with a tooth pick and it was done it sat and cooled so i put the glaze on it the cut it and it wasnt done.
I’m sorry you underbaked your cake and glazed it before realizing it wasn’t done. I’ve done that before with cakes too. I think everyone who’s ever baked has done that!
This sounds fantastic! So I decided to have a go. It has been in the oven for 40 minutes (it is tented now) and I anticipate another 10 or so to go. I did squeeze as much water possible from the zucchini before adding so I know the excess moisture is not from that. I believe it will be fine, just taking a bit longer to bake. One thing I did notice is that the pan was almost full (9in) with batter and there is no way the cake will be as flat as yours. Not sure the issue, I am very careful and attentive to measurements. Still, I think it will taste great, I will keep you posted.
I live in a dry climate and things like this tend to bake quicker for me; just bake until done. That said, this is a VERY moist cake and will never be ‘dry’. It will always be super soft and…mushy-ish for lack of a better word. Like bread pudding almost, in cake form. You may also have used a larger zucchini or had slightly larger bananas than I did which would account for the variances. Sounds like you’re on the right track – enjoy!
Hey,
I just made this exactly according to the directions and it came out way to “moist”. Would squeezing out the zucchini help. My “eat anything” husband didn’t care for it.
Thanks,
Brenda
It’s a supremely moist cake – that’s just the way it is! If it’s too moist for your tastes, you could squeeze the zucchini, yes; or use more flour, maybe 1/2 cup or so, depending on how your batter looks, or use slightly less banana or less zuke. Lots of ways to firm it up for next time.
I just made this cake and I just cannot get it to cook all the way through. I’ve added an extra 30 minutes to it and it’s still gooey. Any suggestions? I’m considering trying it again, but in a larger pan to make it more shallow, and at a lower temperature. Any hints? The flavor is delicious, though. The edges were done enough to get a taste and I know it’s gonna’ taste good once it is actually “done.”
Ok if you almost doubled the baking time from 35-40ish minutes + 30 more minutes, so you’ve been baking it for 70ish minutes and it’s still not done, are you 100% sure your oven is working and calibrated correctly? Sometimes ovens run cold, stop working, etc. A 5.99 cheapie oven thermometer will tell you what’s going on.
IF it is working correctly, you possibly had incredibly juicy zucchini and it just released a ton of water and the batter is just really, really wet. It’s too late now but you could have added more flour in the mixing stage. Another 1/2 c or so would dry it out.
I would just continue to bake it, cover it (tent it) with a sheet of foil so the top doesn’t burn, and keep on baking it until it’s done.
Keep me posted how it pans out and if you end up re-trying.
And one more thing that I should mention, this is a SUPER gooey cake to begin with. Moist isn’t even the word. It’s almost like…bread pudding? Not at all like a traditional say, ‘birthday cake’ from the bakery or a sheet cake served at a party. It’s a super soft, really moist, dense cake. So just don’t expect a dry cake. It’s not that kind of cake. The title could even be, Soft Zucchini & Banana Bars. Just wanted to really hammer home how super tender and gooey it is.
Made this today. Thought you might want to know that I subbed in applesauce for half of the butter and since I only had chocolate pudding mix in my house, I used that, and the cake was very moist, rich, and dense–but not TOO dense–sometimes subbing in applesauce doesn’t give my baked goods the “lift” I want (they turn out more like solid slabs) but this worked great! With a pleasant chocolate-y taste! I also skipped the glaze because sometimes desserts get excessively sweet, but that’s just a personal preference.
So glad to hear you made this and that a little applesauce did the trick. I kwym about it sometimes not giving things the lift they need but glad it worked ok here. I think the pudding mix is a miracle worker, too :) It’s the cornstarch in it that I think gives the lightness of texture to anything it touches! Thanks for the field report & trying this!
Absolutely can NOT believe it’s taken so long for me to stumble upon your site! So thankful I did! Everything looks so delicious – I want to try it all!! Awesome, thanks for sharing all these yummy recipes!
Well thanks so much for finding me & LMK if you try anything!
Hi Averie, what a great way to add zucchini to my kids snuck time. I’ve baked this cake yesterday and it was a big success, even with my picky six year old! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I am so glad that this cake was met with picky 6 year old approval! YAY! Thanks for making it and for telling me it was a hit! :)
Q for your thoughts Averie: I have a few extra carrots on hand and was thinking of subbing them for the zucchini. Have you ever tried something similar? I haven’t combined banana + carrot before. Obviously baking it is the one way to know for sure, but thought I’d check with you!
I have done something similar in this bread and it’s one of my fave breads of all times!
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/09/carrot-pineapple-banana-bread-with-browned-butter-cream-cheese-frosting.html
Carrot + banana is an amazing combo, and in that one I added pineapple and you could also add shredded coconut – you could bake it as a Bundt cake, a flat cake, or as bread – the batter in my bread was quite thick and if I were to re-do it, I’d probably divide the batter in two loaf pans or bake as a Bundt, but it also depends on how many ‘add-in’s’ and fruit you use. LMK what you go with!
Once again, I am drooling over your pictures and fabulous recipes. This looks incredible and I can’t wait to try it!
I am sure you already know this but thought I would share: A tip to prevent chocolate chips or any add-ins (dried fruit, nuts, etc) from sinking to the bottom is to coat them in the dry ingredients first and then fold them into the batter once it has mixed. :)
I love that you baked this in a 9×9 pan! You are right…who needs a massive cake sitting around? Better to eat it up in one sitting! Well, that’s what happens when there are 2 teenage, athletic boys around! ;-)
This cake looks so moist. I just love the photo of the bite on the fork. Like, yes, my mouth is open! LOL! I gotta say, too, Averie, that I am really impressed with the professional layout of all your recipes, your explanations, your photos, etc. You are so thorough and clean and organized about the whole process and you have a fantastic way of articulating it all, like it just rolls off your tongue! That is because you are GOOD at what you do! Thanks for all your hard work. I know it is a lot and I, for one, appreciate it! :-)
This comment made my night, Michele. Thank you. There are times I wonder if I’m just being wordy and maybe no one else cares but I figure there are plenty of blogs that talk about their dog, running times, fight with their husband, or what their kid did that day but I’ve made a concerted effort the past 6 mos or so to really just focus on…the food. On my food blog, and all :) Thank you for appreciating it and for the kind words. I do spend more than a few minutes on each post and glad it’s paying off :)
I’m totally with you on the moist cake! Nothing worse than a dry cake. What a sad waste of ingredients, in my opinion. This looks like it fits the bill though!
Sad waste of ingredients if a cake or anything turns out dry – totally agree! And this was the antithesis of dry, thank goodness!
Averie I appreciate your banana dilemma. I often end up with them so over ripe I’m grossed out and cant fathom peeling them for use! I will pass along a trick I learned some time ago when needing ripe bananas: roast them. If you want to know more you find how to do it on my blog but you basically bake them for about 10 minutes, they become ripe but the flavor is also fully and deeper. I’m on the flip side of this having a freezer full of shredded zucchini and lacking inspiration. LOVE this recipe!
Ok here’s a little linkfest for you
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/09/vegetable-lasagna-casserole.html <--- use the zucchini as the crust ( I love doing this wit it!) http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/09/baked-chipotle-sweet-potato-and-zucchini-fritters.html
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/09/zucchini-banana-bread-with-browned-butter-cream-cheese-frosting.html (also linked this in the current post, but it’s a basic but really good zuke/banana bread, more bread-like less cake-like than current recipe)
If you have a dehydrator, I use it for my bananas too b/c yes I love the flavor and good point about roasting them…the flavor is so much more intense and yummy!
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/11/dusted-off.html
You had enough bananas for the monkeys at the zoo?! LOL! I feel like that’s how it always is in our house.
I am obsessed with this cake! Seriously, obsessed. That picture is just so sinful! It looks so rich and delicious.
That glaze sounds amazing!
oh girl I am so making this.
i’ve gotten so tired of banana bread and want to kick it up a notch.
thank you for this, it was as if you were reading my mind.
also, email me and tell me more about the honey.
i want to know why its so good for you and did you notice any health changes once you started using it?
really pricey, but i’ve heard so many good thing on it
This looks like a great spin on zucchini bread–I am really impressed at how Greek yogurt and pudding mix make quick breads so moist…and bananas just make everything better! I have been busy with a couple of your recipes. My mac and cheese is chillin’ for tomorrow and my loaf of English muffin bread is rising as I type this. I haven’t made a no knead/batter bread in a while and forgot how sticky the dough is. It was nice to let the mixer do the work though!!
Oh that is so awesome that you have two recipes of mine going…seriously! Make my day hearing that! I am so curious to hear how your Eng Muff Bread turns out! And what you think of it. The mac ‘n cheese balls are self-explanatory :) But bread is it’s own animal so can’t wait for the field report! It’s dense and heavy, but I already wrote about that :)
The bread is wonderful–that dough rose like a marshmallow puffing up in the microwave! It has nice little holes in it just like an English muffin. My husband was almost pacing the kitchen waiting for it to cool so he could try a slice ( he says 2 thumbs up–and the man loves bread)! This was so easy and I am seriously thinking I may never knead another ball of dough any time soon. The dough base could easily go savory with herbs for my next loaf!
Very creative with ripe bananas, the cake looks wonderful! I usually buy bananas in bulk for freezing and smoothies, but the all seem to ripen at once.
It’s Murphy’s Law that they all ripen at once, but of course!
I would love one of each- please! Have a great weekend!
You know, I’ve actually never made a cake with a pudding mix and I think I want to try it.
Actually, that’s pudding it mildly – I REALLY want to try it. (OMG – ew – someone stop me now, please.)
Seriously, I bet the finished crumb is just really lovely and moist… will be trying this one soon!!
And this cake would still be totally dense and moist and rich without it but it does add a certain quality that’s just…scrumptious!
‘pudding it mildly’ <--- good one. You and my dad would get along great. He is always making little play on word jokes like that. Lol
oh gosh…i wish starbucks sold these!
ME too! Now that would be convenient but honestly, the batter takes literally 5 mins max to whisk together.
This would be a perfect change from a traditional banana bread as a use for ripe bananas. Love the addition of pudding! The brown butter glaze – makes me smile instantly :)
The cake would still be dense and moist and rich without it but the pudding does add a certain quality that I love and yes, browned butter makes me smile too!
I love banana with zucchini and that glaze is incredible!!
Zucchini is such a multi-tasker. It keeps everything moist so it’s nice to incorporate. And thanks for the pin!
I think I’m a banana hoarder. Inevitably, I’ll forget I have some on my counter and I’ll buy another batch, so now I have TWO batches on my counter both getting spotty at the same time. I could easily make 10 loaves of banana bread (not a bad idea) but this cake looks way too delicious not to try. Can you believe I’ve never baked zukes in a dessert before? Crazy, right? It’s dang time I start.
They add pretty color and tons of moisture with very little flavor so if anyone ‘doesn’t like zucchini’, not to worry b/c the taste is almost imperceptible. Good luck with all that hoarding and can’t wait to see what you make :)
What a pretty snack cake! I love the glaze. *drinkable*
It IS so drinkable – yes!
This looks like a really interesting cake! I’ve never heard of the combination of banana and zucchini, much less in a cake! Thanks for sharing the recipe and those lovely pictures.
Glad you like it and I notice you have a savory zucchini dish on your site right now… I always go sweet over savory :)
so creative! I don’t know how you come up with so many amazingly looking desserts
Thanks, Alison! Gotta just keep it fresh and keep trying things and hope for the best :)
Oh my, this looks decadent and delicious!!! I love pudding cakes too! I even add a box of vanilla pudding to my cookies! I am making your Asian pasta salad again today. It has been added to our weekly rotation!
I love that it’s on weekly rotation! I’ve made it twice in the last 2 weeks too. It’s never identical, but noodles, fresh veggies, peanut butter and the sauce ingredients in approximately the same amts, yep, just made some yesterday, too!
A moist cake and a glaze?! Love!
Broken record – but looks amazing! Love the green flecks in there too. I’ve had pudding cakes but never made one. Well maybe from a box. Didn’t one of the brands once upon a time include pudding in their mixes?
Yes and Pillsbury strawaberry cake mix still says on the box “with real pudding included inside” but when you open it, there’s not like a separate pudding mix with the cake mix. It’s all just one mix.
I have yet to bake with zucchini, but this recipe looks too scrumptious to pass up! (Definitely bookmarking.) And yes, 9 x 13-inch desserts start to get boring at the halfway point. :D
It adds almost zero flavor but adds full-on moisture and a touch of texture, which is a bonus. I think zucchini is so flavor neutral, that even if you ate it raw with your eyes closed, you may still not even know what it was. Lol
Thanks for the pin!
Too many bananas is one of my favorite problems to have! Also, I LOVE the idea of a smaller cake. I’m totally with you that I’m ready to switch it up far before the 9×13 pan is depleted. Dense, gooey, pudding, love. That’s what I see with this pan of yum! Thanks Averie.
Cake boredom definitely strikes me with 9 x 13 cakes and so love 8×8 or 9×9 cakes. Variety is the spice of life!
I always have so many bananas in the freezer! I never know what to do with all of them, you can only make so many loaves of banana bread, right?!
Exactly – “you can only make so many loaves of banana bread, right?!”. Even though I love it, I have to have versions on a theme!
I totally understand what you mean about having either no ripe bananas or too many. I am on the too many end of the spectrum! I’ve got way too many bananas in my freezer right now! Fortunately, now I have something to make with them – love the cake!
I start freezing them too but they usually end up in smoothies at that point. Good luck with your banana abundance right now! :)
Averie this cake looks exactly like a dense cake batter blondie but MUCH softer….more buttery…. and better. Is that possible? You know I love my little cake blondies! I am so impressed – from the pudding to the BS vs BP strategy and all of that butter… you have yourself a real winner here. I’m convinced. I need to make that vanilla brown butter glaze. You clearly like it too much for me NOT to try it girl. :) the extra bananas vs no bananas… story of my life! my freezer is FULL of frozen bananas and my archives have way too much banana bread (not a problem in my book!)… and I have more waiting to be used up this weekend. Of course when I’m sick and want something comforting to the tummy.. I have none. And all that’s in the store are grass-green. Life is so hard. :(
Small cakes/small batches are my blogging solution. I can bake so much since the recipe yields are small. I swear by them. And I have cake A.D.D. too. i am in LOVE with this cake Averie! Crisp clean pretty photos. Ok I’ll shut up now.
In many ways this was sort of like a blondie; more cake-like and less cookie-dough like than a blondie, but that same denseness and pan-style kind of cake/bar. This vanilla browned butter glaze is good but the one I have here is THE BEST
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/09/spiced-apple-and-banana-bundt-cake-with-vanilla-caramel-glaze.html
It was just more ‘glaze’ flavor that I needed. Very pronounced and intense caramel flavor which I wasn’t in need of with this b/c there was already plenty going on.
Cake A.D.D. – great way of putting it! Me too. And as you know as a blogger, content needs to rotate and I cannot/will not just make something ‘just’ to make it. We do need to be able to eat it (or a good portion of it) and I can’t be making 9×13 cakes or layer cakes all the time or 2-3 dozen cookie batches all the time. Gah! So yes, smaller cakes/batches are key!
Banana and Zucchini..what a wonderful combo…the cake looks so moist and filling! Baking it this weekend….
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Keep me posted how it goes for you!!
I could definitely see myself swapping the zucchini for pumpkin and making this case for Thanksgiving! It looks so moist and delicious.
this one was pumpkin and banana and it was so good!
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/09/pumpkin-banana-bread-with-browned-butter-cream-cheese-frosting.html
More bread like than cake like but you can play with the ratios and get it a bit more cake like by baking it in a 9×9 and adding a little less flour!
I do love a good pudding cake too! And I like the way you think…add the zucchini to the cake instead of salad:-) I can’t wait to try this out…we always have way more bananas on our counter too. That cake is absolutely amazing looking…so rich and decadent and perfectly heavy!
I hate airy cakes. Normally they are just…dry. The kind where you end up with crumbs all over your lap b/c the cake is just so dry it start flaking off on you. Not this one :)
Dang Averie. You are the queen of all thing Banana Bread! I love pudding cakes (have a couple varieties on my blog), the dense moist cake is delish! Totally going to have to put this on my to-make list! Pinned!
I need to check your archives and find your pudding cakes and see how you made them!
Thanks for the Pin, too!
Yay! So excited to make this! I have been waiting to see whaqt the next banana recipe is :)
Enjoy it! Hope you like it as much as we did and keep me posted!
SO true! I am always in the same situation. I actually take brown banana donations from family that I freeze for baking :) The cake looks just scrumptious
I love that you have an open brown-banana collection/donation-program going! That is awesome! My mom used to do that with her mom when I was growing up; they’d swap brown/black bananas based on who had what cooking project going on. Now I get it :)
I’m just the same! Have so many leftover bananas and I think this zucchini pudding cake would be a great way to use it. I love that brown butter drizzle too – absolutely delicious!
I love browned butter anything and it pairs really well with the sweetness from the bananas. It was perfect on this little cake!
I’ve never used a pudding packet in baking, but I have heard of it before. Looks amazing, Averie! Happy Friday!
It adds such unbelieveable softness & moisture to anything! From bread, to cakes, to cookies…one little packet just does wonders for any dough whatsoever!
I have 4 bananas that are approaching the perfect state, and looking for a treat to greet my partner when he arrives home from a long business trip (I’ll be at work). I just so happen to have ALL these ingredients on stock (even the pudding)… Looks like I’m baking a pudding cake. Could I make this in a loaf pan? Otherwise, I don’t have a 9×9, but I do have an 8×8.
I would not use a loaf pan – it will never set up in the middle before the edges were too dark. You could try an 8×8 but you’ll have to watch the baking time and use your judgment. Enjoy!
I’m the same way! I always have too many ripe bananas or when I actually need them, there are nowhere to be found! It’s so frustrating. But I’m so glad you had some on hand to make this because it is amazing! The combination with the zucchini is just pure genius, and that glaze is to die for!
Or RIGHT as I’m about to have like 2 or 3 that are perfect, a family member will get a craving for potassium and just ‘have to have’ a banana. Like, really? Couldn’t you have…an apple. Or a cookie. But I need the bananas! Lol and thanks for the Pin! (your cake board is amazing!!)
My cake board is amazing thanks to your awesome cake recipes! :)