Easy Zucchini Cakes

Attention in the building!  We have joined the Blackstone craze.  Mark wanted a 22-inch Blackstone for Father’s Day, we had a nice little scavenger hunt finding the one he wanted in stock.  Wife of the year here, we bought it at Walmart, those that know me well know how much I dislike that place.  He’s happy and that’s all that matters.  He chose that size because it has two burners and the legs on the stand fold down for storage, making it perfect for camping.  He was so excited to cook on this new toy!  Me, I was excited to never have to wash that electric griddle in the tiny RV sink again.  I felt like I received an extra Mother’s Day present!

Which brings me to today’s post.  He began rattling all the things he could now cook on the shiny new griddle, I jumped online to see what things besides smash burgers we could cook on the thing.  I was pleasantly surprised that not everything I found looked like a scene out of Benihana’s.

Many of them looked quite good.  Especially these zucchini cakes.  I did a quick ingredient check to make sure there weren’t any offending items and smiled to myself knowing we would be making these soon.  Very soon.  So far we’ve made them just as the directions say, only altering the size.  I do see adding a little Siracha or even some diced onions.  Now that Mark likes onions, I won’t even have to pulverize them first.  And, the griddle is big enough to sauté the onions there before adding them into the mixture.  Less dishes for me to wash, a continuing Mother’s Day present!

You know how I like quick and easy recipes, these take only minutes to make!  My cousin Keith loves them, like seriously loves them. He would happily line up everyday for some.

Don’t fret if you don’t have a big outdoor griddle, these can be done in a cast iron pan or any griddle you have.

Let’s get caking!

Begin by shredding your zucchini.  I have a regular food processor at home and keep an old Salad Shooter in the RV.  This thing is close to 20 years old, runs a little louder now but still gets the job done.  It’s small and light, taking up little space.  You can also use the shredding apparatus of a mandolin slicer or a hand-held grater.  The recipe calls for two cups of shredded zucchini, one good sized will do.  Be sure to squeeze out as much moisture as possible, you don’t want a soggy zucchini cake.  In the RV, I shred them right onto a clean dish towel, roll it up tight and squeeze with all my might.  Before rolling and squeezing, I take a measuring cup to make sure I have two cups.  I don’t mind if I have a little more.

Next, beat an egg in a medium sized bowl.  Add the bread crumbs, minced garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Give that a gentle stir until it’s nicely incorporated.

One last squeeze on the zucchini then dump them in the bowl.  Stir until well combined, I use my hands.

The original recipe calls for rolling them into 12 golf ball sized balls.  Sometimes I do it this way, especially if we’re with several people.  I’ll roll them into 4 or 6 if it’s just Mark and I.

You want oil for this, not cooking spray.  Put a little oil on the griddle, add your zucchini balls.

Run a big spatula in the oil on the griddle and smash down the zucchini ball, smash burger style.  You can also use a square piece of parchment paper, Mark isn’t interested doing it that way.  Smash all your zucchini balls to about 1/2-inch thick.

Let them cook two or three minutes until nicely browned, flip and cook the other side the same.

The original recipe made these as an appetizer and served them with ranch or an aioli dressing.  We devour them far too fast to be bothered with dipping.  The little golf ball sized balls come out a perfect appetizer size.

If there are any leftovers, you’ll want to wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil then place into a Ziploc bag.  You want to keep them as dry as possible so they won’t be soggy when you reheat them.  I highly doubt there will be any leftovers.

Click to print recipe

Zucchini Cakes

Recipe Credit:  Or Whatever You Do

• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Squeeze as much moisture out of shredded zucchini as you can using a clean dish towel.
2. Combine all the other ingredients in a medium sized bowl, stir gently to combine.
3. Add zucchini and mix well, using hands if desired.  Form into equal sized balls.  Make 12 golf ball sized balls for appetizers and larger for meal side dish.
4. Preheat your Blackstone or cast-iron pan on low-medium low heat.
5. Squirt a little oil on the Blackstone and place the zucchini balls on the griddle.  Use a large spatula to smash the balls down, smash burger style.  You can use a piece of parchment if you’d like or have a little oil on the back of the spatula to prevent sticking.
6. Cook until nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook until done.
7. Serve with dipping sauce as an appetizer or as a side dish.
8. Tightly wrap any leftovers in foil or plastic wrap.
9. ENJOY!