Vegan Sugar-free Olive Oil Zucchini Cake

I recently have been enjoying Brian Levy’s cookbook Good & Sweet, a completely sugar-free baking book which uses the natural sweetness of fruit to sweeten desserts. It’s a very creative and inspiring read, perfect for someone like me who doesn’t like desserts to be too sweet. Usually sugar-free cookbooks use sugar substitutes, like monkfruit or agave, but this cookbook uses fruit itself as the sweetener, and highlights the natural sweetness of corn, cashews, oats, etc.

My favorite recipe so far is the olive oil zucchini cake, sweetened with medjool dates which are blitzed in the food processor. It’s very moist, flavorful, and feels decadent when in reality it is built on wholesome ingredients like zucchini, teff flour, walnuts, dates & olive oil. I take it a step further it to make it vegan by swapping aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas) in place of the eggs.

The original recipe from the book suggests baking it in 2 loaf pans, but I tried baking it in different shaped pans and decided I strongly prefer a Bundt pan. I love how a Bundt pan creates a crispy outer texture, while keeping in the inside moist. My swirl-shaped Bundt pan with sharp ridges is especially good at creating a crisp exterior. Note that the original recipe calls for 2 loaf pans, and that is the exact amount of batter that converts into 1 Bundt pan. Also, usually you can convert a cake recipe into cupcakes or muffins, but this is the exception. When I tried to make muffins with this cake batter, they were mushy and the tops did not have an appealing texture.

Vegan Sugar-free Zucchini Olive Oil Cake

It's moist, flavorful, and feels decadent when in reality is built on wholesome ingredients like zucchini, teff flour, walnuts, dates & olive oil. I adapted it to make it vegan by swapping aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas ) in place of the eggs.

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Ingredients

extra-virgin olive oil and all-purpose flour for the pan
rounded 1 1/4 cup (135g) walnuts
2 1/2 cups (380g) Medjool dates
3/4 cup (110g) teff flour
1 3/4 cup (300g) grated zucchini
1 1/3 cup (180g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
9 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1 tablespoon (15g) lemon juice
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (245g) extra-virgin olive oil
grated lemon zest from 1 lemon

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Oil a bundt pan and lightly dust with flour.
While the oven is heating up, toast the walnuts until fragrant. Let them cool, chop them in a food processor. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the dates and teff flour. Pulse until the dates are chopped and just starting to clump. Don't let them puree into a paste. Add them to the chopped walnuts. Toss everything together. This should look like gravel. Set aside.
Grate the zucchini, then use a sieve to press out as much liquid as possible. Either discard the juice or use later for green juice or add to a soup.
In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the aquafaba and lemon juice on medium-high speed until the mixture resembles lightly-whipped cream, about 5 minutes.
With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another 5 minutes, at which point the color will be lighter and the mixture should be the consistency of hollandaise sauce.
Add the vanilla and lemon zest and beat for a few seconds to mix.
Add half of the flour/spice mixture and beat at medium-high speed for about 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the remaining flour/spice mixture. Beat on medium-high for 20 seconds to develop the cake's structure. Again scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add the zucchini and beat on medium speed until uniformly combined. Scrape down, then add the teff/date/walnut mix. Beat until just combined. Do not overmix. Scrape down the sides and mix the bottom of the bowl to make sure the mixture is uniformly mixed.
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Serve slices warm or at room temperature.
Store at room temp for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.