Can I make this coffee cake into muffins?

Yes! This batter works great in muffin form. If you make this recipe as zucchini muffins, you'll need to reduce the bake time (we recommend 23-25 minutes for coffee cake muffins in the oven, similar to our banana chocolate chip muffins !) For small muffins, we don't find the cinnamon filling is really necessary; you can skip it to save a bit of time. We do recommend doubling the crumb topping if you make muffins, so you can have a thicker layer with more coverage (they'll look a bit nicer this way!

Can I use a stand mixer for this recipe?

You can use a stand mixer or electric mixer if you like, but you really don't need to! If you do use a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl very well. Because we're working with such a small amount of batter in this zucchini coffee cake, pockets of dry ingredients can easily get trapped at the bottom of a stand mixer. It may take a little finessing to make sure everything is well incorporated.

Can I make this coffee cake ahead of time?

Yes! This zucchini coffee cake recipe is easy to make a day in advance: Bake it as directed, then leave it on the counter overnight, covered with a clean tea towel to preserve the texture. The zucchini in this batter will keep it nice and moist, making it a perfect make-ahead brunch idea! We don't recommend covering it with an airtight seal (like a piece of plastic wrap or a tight fitting lid) if the coffee cake is just sitting overnight: A clean tea towel protects it from any dust while still allowing just enough airflow to keep the topping nice and crispy. Note: Some food safety guidelines recommend storing ANY baked good made with vegetables in the fridge, as opposed to on the counter. We tested this recipe both ways: Each worked fine in our testing, so store the coffee cake however you're most comfortable. If you store the coffee cake in the fridge overnight, we recommend placing the pan into a COLD oven and heating it to 325°, then baking an additional 5-15 minutes, just long enough to re-crisp the crumb topping. Never put a cold glass or ceramic pan into a hot oven, as it can shatter.

Zucchini Coffee Cake

Name: Zucchini Coffee Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 53 grams brown sugar (¼ cup); 2 grams cinnamon (1 teaspoon); 15 grams all purpose flour (2 Tablespoons); Pinch of kosher salt; 80 grams brown sugar (about ⅓ packed cup); 60 grams all purpose flour (about ½ cup); 7 grams ground cinnamon (about 1 Tablespoon); 70 grams unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (about 5 Tablespoons); Pinch of kosher salt; 53 grams unsalted butter, melted (½ stick, or ¼ cup); 80 grams milk (1/3 cup); 1 egg; 4 grams vanilla extract (1 teaspoon); 15 grams apple cider vinegar (1 Tablespoon); 100 grams sugar (1/2 cup); 180 grams shredded zucchini (about 1 medium-large zucchini; do not squeeze any of the moisture out); 270 grams all purpose flour (about 2 1/4 cups); 2 grams cinnamon (1 teaspoon); 4 grams kosher salt (1 teaspoon); 5 grams baking soda (1 teaspoon); 7 grams baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons); Powdered sugar, for topping

Description

This cozy zucchini bread coffee cake is perfect for summer! With a ribbon of cinnamon filling and a buttery streusel topping. Shred your zucchini with the large holes of a box grater, but don't squeeze out any of the water - it will help keep this coffee cake moist.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Filling:

53 grams brown sugar (¼ cup)
2 grams cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
15 grams all purpose flour (2 Tablespoons)
Pinch of kosher salt

For the Crumble:

80 grams brown sugar (about ⅓ packed cup)
60 grams all purpose flour (about ½ cup)
7 grams ground cinnamon (about 1 Tablespoon)
70 grams unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (about 5 Tablespoons)
Pinch of kosher salt

For the batter:

53 grams unsalted butter, melted (½ stick, or ¼ cup)
80 grams milk (1/3 cup)
1 egg
4 grams vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
15 grams apple cider vinegar (1 Tablespoon)
100 grams sugar (1/2 cup)
180 grams shredded zucchini (about 1 medium-large zucchini; do not squeeze any of the moisture out)
270 grams all purpose flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
2 grams cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
4 grams kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
5 grams baking soda (1 teaspoon)
7 grams baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons)

Optional:

Powdered sugar, for topping

Instructions

Prep the components:

Line a metal 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Heat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit.
Make the filling. Whisk brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and a pinch of salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Make the crumble. Add softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and a pinch of kosher salt to a small mixing bowl. Use a fork to slowly mash the dry ingredients into the butter, until you have a crumbly mixture that holds together when pressed. Keep mashing until no dry bits remain: Everything should be worked into the butter, kind of like a very thick compound butter. Set aside while you make the batter.

Make the batter:

Whisk sugar, egg, and melted butter together until you have a smooth mixture.
Stir shredded zucchini into the wet ingredients.
Add flour, cinnamon, kosher salt, baking soda, and baking powder to bowl. Stir until the mixture is about halfway combined.
In a separate small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Slowly stream this liquid mixture into the batter, stirring as you go, and mix until ingredients are just combined.

Assemble and bake:

Pour half of the batter into the prepared metal pan. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter into an even layer that reaches all corners of the pan.
Spoon filling evenly over the first layer of batter. Top with remaining batter, and once again use an offset spatula to spread it out into an even layer (Tip: It helps to place the remaining batter over the surface of the filling in multiple small scoops, rather than spreading out from one large blob in the center, so that it feels like you're connecting the dots as you spread it into an even layer).
Top with the prepared crumble. Break the crumble up as you go if needed, so that the pieces are fairly uniform in size.
Bake 45-50 minutes at 325° F, until the top is lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into the center of the coffee cake comes out clean. Let cool completely, top with a dusting of powdered sugar (optional), then slice and serve.

Notes

Additions and substitutions. Add chopped, toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans) to the coffee cake batter if you like. Omit the filling if you'd like to reduce the sugar in this recipe. Top with powdered sugar or a quick cinnamon glaze. Use melted coconut oil or vegetable oil in place of the melted butter.

For help with the crumble (streusel) topping, including additional step-by-step photos and expert tips, read through our full cinnamon crumble topping tutorial.

Please use a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients like flour by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable. While we've provided approximate volume measurements for convenience, we recommend using a kitchen scale and following the gram measurements listed above. We use and recommend Escali kitchen scales. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, measure ingredients (especially flour, which is the most finicky) with the scoop and level method for best results.

Don't worry if your zucchini isn't a perfect 180 grams. We've successfully tested this recipe with as low as 125 grams of shredded zucchini - the coffee cake won't be quite as moist, but it'll still taste good! If you have extra zucchini, save it in an airtight container in the fridge for other recipes later in the week.