Zucchini Cream Cheese Crumb Cake is something I created by combining all of my favorite things. The different tastes and textures of the zucchini cake, cream cheese filling, and delicious sugar coated crumb topping work together like magic. You won’t believe how incredible this cake is!
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Zucchini Cake Win
One of the first recipes I shared with you all is my Zucchini Cake. That’s because it is my favorite! It’s special to me for so many reasons, but most importantly, it’s just so darn good! It’s also a recipe I have experimented with over the years. This Zucchini Cream Cheese Crumb Cake is a winning experiment for sure.
For those of you who have never tried zucchini cake, rest assured, it tastes nothing like zucchini. The squash gives the cake and incredible moisture to it, and the flavor you will taste is cinnamon. That delightful cinnamon flavor is what made me think this cake base would work so well with a crumb topping.
Check out this video of how I prepared this cake and then we can discuss the details.
3 Steps
There are three steps to making this cake, the batter, the cream cheese filling, and the crumb topping. I have preferred order to make these and here it is…
Cream Cheese Filling
First I like to prepare the cream cheese filling for the cake. Make sure you are working with room temperature ingredients here. I leave my cream cheese out for quite some time so it blends smooth. You can go ahead and set your egg out at the same time. It’s easy enough to beat the filling together with a hand mixer and medium-large bowl.
Once you have your filling prepared, just set it aside while you work on the other steps.
Zucchini Cake
Preparing this cake is the same method as my recipe for Everyone’s Favorite Zucchini Cake, but the ingredient increments are different so you will yield a little less batter here.
I start off with grating my zucchini. Don’t squeeze the moisture out, just loosely measure the grated squash and set it aside.
When it comes time to combine ingredients you will mix the wet ingredients first, Then, alternate the dry ingredients with the zucchini. Make sure to start and finish with your dry ingredients.
Crumb Topping
Last you will combine the ingredients for the crumb topping. I have found if you do it sooner the crumbs can dry out a bit. You also will be spreading the crumb with your hands so let the melted butter you are using cool down a bit before you get started.
Finishing Touch
When your cake has finished baking, pull it out of the oven and immediately cover the top of the cake with a heavy coat of powdered sugar. I use a fine mesh strainer and shake lots and lots of sugar on top.
Since the cake is hot, the sugar will become a little wet. This is normal and okay!
Let the cake completely cool off and then repeat the heavy coating of powdered sugar.
ENJOY!
Happy Baking. xoxo, Katie
Here are some of the items used to prepare this cake.

This cake is the perfect combination of flavors and textures! Moist and delicious zucchini cake is stuffed with cream cheese filling. It's then finished off with lots of crumb topping and coated with lots and lots of powdered sugar.
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg room temp.
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/3 cups shredded zucchini
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 1/8 cups flour
- 1 cup melted butter
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Preheat oven to 325-degrees
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Cream together the cream cheese and softened butter.
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Add the sugar and continue to cream until well blended.
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Mix in the egg and vanilla.
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Lastly, mix in the flour until blended and set mixture aside.
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First, combine dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
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Shred the zucchini and set aside. When shredding the squash do not squeeze out moisture and measure it loosely.
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In a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar.
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Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the zucchini to the wet ingredients. Make sure you start and finish with the dry ingredients.
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Mix until combined.
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Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
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Stir in the melted butter.
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Pour the cake batter into a greased 13x9 baking pan.
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Spoon the cream cheese filling over the cake batter and gently spread and swirl over the surface of the batter.
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Using your hands, sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the entire cake. I like to pick up handfuls of the mixture and break it apart between my fingers over the cake.
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Bake in a 325-degree oven for 45-50 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick.
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When cake is done, pull out of the oven and immediately coat in powdered sugar. It's okay that the sugar will look wet.
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Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.
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Once the cake has cooled, apply another heavy coating of powdered sugar.
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