Orange Zucchini Bread with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Here's my recipe for orange zucchini bread. I like to dress it up with an orange-flavored cream cheese frosting and some fresh orange slices.

You can freeze the loaves for up to 3 months, and you can also freeze the frosting. It's nice to have it already made when you pull a loaf of the bread out of the freezer.

Enjoy!

~Dana

Orange Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
3 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
juice and zest from 1 orange
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups grated zucchini

Makes 2 loaves

Instructions
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, orange juice and zest.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Add this to the wet ingredients, one cup at a time until combined.

3. Grate your zucchini onto a thick pile of paper towels or a clean tea towel. Squeeze as much liquid out of the zucchini as you can. Fold it into the cake batter and mix it in until combined.

Zucchini bread batter in loaf pans

4. Pour the batter into 2 greased 8 x 4-inch loaf pans.

5. Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

6. Remove from oven and let the loaves cool in their pans for about 20 minutes. Turn them out of the pans and finish cooling on racks.

7. If desired, frost the loaves when completely cool.

Note - To freeze, wrap each cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap. Then wrap each in foil. Label with the name of the bread and date it was made. Keeps up to 3 months in the freezer.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
4 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
juice and zest from 1 orange

Frosts the tops of 2 loaves of zucchini bread

Instructions
1. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to the consistency that you can use with a piping bag. If you can stand a spoon straight up in the middle of the bowl, it's ready. If too thin, add more confectioners' sugar.

3. Spread a thick layer of frosting over the tops of your loaves of zucchini bread. Or use a piping bag to pipe small rosettes over the top of each loaf.

Note - You may freeze this frosting for up to 3 months and use when you thaw your frozen zucchini bread.

 

Printable Recipe Pages 

For more zucchini recipes, see

Zucchini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

copyright 2025, Dana Meier, My Olde Country Home

Dana Meier is a caterer, cookbook author, online content creator and purveyor of historic crafts in Washington state. Her first cookbook was published in 2023.

My Olde Country Home cookbook series:
Vol. 1 - Olde Fashioned Christmas Desserts
Vol. 2 - Vintage Cookie Recipes 

available on Amazon®