Brown Butter Zucchini Coffee Cake
I almost gave up on this recipe. I had browned the butter for the cake, set it aside to cool for a while, came back to make the cake, and promptly spilled the beautiful precious browned butter all over my counter. I found this recipe on Two Peas & Their Pod and I trust their recipes so I knew it would be worth the effort to start over. I am so glad I did! I was a bit concerned with how thick the cake batter was but there was no need because the cake turned out moist and so delicious. I loved the brown butter flavor and the cinnamon glaze on top makes this coffee cake extra special. This brown butter zucchini coffee cake is not only great for breakfast but perfect to serve for brunch, as a snack, or dessert and it’s a fantastic way to use up all the summer zucchini. This cake was devoured by four kids that were at my house and they all asked for seconds–I’d say they liked it.
How to Make a Brown Butter Zucchini Coffee Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat the 8 tablespoons of butter for the cake in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally until the butter has a nutty aroma and is golden brown. Be careful not to burn the butter! Pour browned butter into a small bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.
In the same pan, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter for the streusel topping over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally until the butter has a nutty aroma and is golden brown. Be careful not to burn the butter! Pour browned butter into a separate small bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Make the cake by combining the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl; mix well.
Split the vanilla bean pod in half with a knife. Using the back of the knife, scrape the inside of the vanilla bean pod to remove the seeds.
Combine the cooled browned butter for the cake (8 tablespoons) together with the Greek yogurt, egg, and the scraped vanilla bean seeds; mix until well combined.
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and mix until just combined. It will be very thick! Add a couple of tablespoons of milk, if needed. Add the zucchini and stir until combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish.
Make the streusel by combining the remaining 4 tablespoons of cooled brown butter with the flour and brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix together until crumbly. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over the cake.
Place into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack completely.
Make the cinnamon glaze by combining the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon together; stir until well combined.
Drizzle over the cooled zucchini coffee cake. Slice and serve. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- FOR THE CAKE:
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 1 vanilla bean split & seeds scraped
- 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini 2 large
- BROWN BUTTER STREUSEL TOPPING:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- CINNAMON GLAZE:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of ground cinnamon to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat the 8 tablespoons of butter for the cake in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook, swirling occasionally until the butter has a nutty aroma and is golden brown. Be careful not to burn the butter!
- Pour browned butter into a small bowl and set it aside to cool to room temperature.
- In the same pan, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter for the streusel topping over medium heat.
- Cook, swirling occasionally until the butter has a nutty aroma and is golden brown. Be careful not to burn the butter!
- Pour browned butter into a separate small bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Make the cake by combining the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl; mix well.
- Split the vanilla bean pod in half with a knife.
- Using the back of the knife, scrape the inside of the vanilla bean pod to remove the seeds.
- Combine the cooled browned butter for the cake (8 tablespoons) together with the Greek yogurt, egg, and the scraped vanilla bean seeds; mix until well combined.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and mix until just combined. It will be very thick! Add a couple of tablespoons of milk, if needed.
- Add the zucchini and stir until combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Make the streusel by combining the remaining 4 tablespoons of cooled brown butter with the flour and brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Mix together until crumbly.
- Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over the cake.
- Place into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack completely.
- Make the cinnamon glaze by combining the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon together; stir until well combined.
- Drizzle over the cooled zucchini coffee cake. Slice and serve. Enjoy!
Lagostina Giveaway Winner:
I am excited to announce that the winner of my giveaway for a piece of the Lagostina Luminosa Stainless Steel 11-Piece Cookware Set is a long time reader. We have been reading each other’s blogs since the beginning back in 2008!
The winner is comment no.: 89 – Grace from A Southern Grace!!
GRACE SAYS:
the biggest saucepan with a lid has my name on it! i’d make my turkey and sweet potato skillet and for once, it wouldn’t spill out all over the place!
Yay Grace! Send me an e-mail at [email protected] with the name of the one cookware piece you would like from the collection, if it’s different from what you said in your comment, along with your mailing address so Lagostina can mail you your new cookware! CONGRATULATIONS Grace!!!!
There are zucchini and yoghurt in this cake…so I can have it as the breakfast :-)) YUM!
Ooh does that look yummy. Another great recipe to use up my zucchini. I like the use of yogurt in baked goods. Makes them nice and light.
This recipe sounds delicious, wonder if it would work with 1/2 quantities as it would be too big for the 2 of us. Have a great week Diane
this post is the best, partly because i won (!) and partly because this is the most amazing use for zucchini i’ve seen in such a long time! awesome cake. 🙂
Oh man. Brown butter AND zucchini! I definitely need this.