Lemon Zucchini Cake

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Lemon zucchini cake is light, delicious and loaded with a bright, lemony flavor. Enjoy it with a cup of tea for breakfast or snack time – or both!

I have what is basically the opposite of a green thumb.

What I’m sayin’ is that I can’t keep plants alive. I’ve been known to kill mint and rosemary. And that, friends, takes a special kind of talent.

My mom seems to plop plants into dirt, sorta takes care of them, and she’s left with gorgeous tomatoes, pretty peppers, and more zucchini than anyone can eat in a season.

And where does that zucchini end up? On my kitchen counter. Where it gets turned into baked goods, like this lemon zucchini cake, for all of you!

BAKING WITH ZUCCHINI

Since I’m the only zucchini eater in my little family, I always bake it into ALLTHEDESSERTS. When you grate it super fine, it’s hardly detectable in chocolate desserts like chocolate zucchini cake or chocolate zucchini muffins.

And when Eric asked about the little green flecks in this lovely lemon cake, I assured him it was lime zest. Just kidding. Not really.

This lemon zucchini cake is loaded with flavor. A sweet and tangy lemon glaze takes it over the top into mouth-puckering territory, which I personally love. 

It’s perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee or as an afternoon snack with a glass of freshly brewed iced tea.

When you’re baking with zucchini, it’s the perfect opportunity to use up some of those monster zucchini.

You know the ones I’m talking about: the ones that get hidden at the bottom of the plant and no one sees them until they’re easily a foot long.

Those giant zucchini aren’t the best for making things like grilled zucchini because the texture gets kind of weird, but they’re perfect for turning into everything from classic zucchini bread to zucchini chocolate chip cookies.

HOW TO MAKE THIS LEMON ZUCCHINI CAKE

This lemon zucchini cake is a simple yet flavorful bundt cake. The batter comes together in just a few minutes, leaving you with plenty of time to kick back with a book or your favorite show while the cake bakes.

Ingredients you’ll need

The lemony cake batter is made with:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• zest of 2 large lemons
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups finely grated zucchini

Before you get started, make sure that you know how to measure flour correctly. This will help make sure your cake comes out perfect every time!

Vegetable oil is used in place of butter in this cake. Vegetable oil makes for a moist cake and is commonly used in recipes like zucchini cake and carrot cake.

Don’t skip the glaze when making this lemon zucchini cake. It’s the perfect finishing touch! You’ll need:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted
• 1 cup powdered sugar; sifted
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

If you are out of powdered sugar, check out my post on how to make powdered sugar and save yourself a trip to the grocery store.

Making this recipe

The first step to making this recipe is to use one of my all-time favorite tricks when baking with lemon zest: Work the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened and fragrant.

This really brings out those aromatic oils in the zest and helps infuse that lemony flavor throughout the cake! I use this trick in so many of my recipes, including lemon cupcakes and lemon cream cheese pound cake.

Add in the vegetable oil, eggs, lemon juice, and the vanilla extract. Mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until well combined.

Separately, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then fold in the zucchini.

Spread the batter into a grease bundt pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

When the cake has cooled, whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle the glaze over the cake before serving.

STORAGE TIPS

Store lemon zucchini cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze slices of the cake. Check out my post on how to freeze cake for more details on freezing and thawing individual slices of cake.

FAQS

Do you grate the zucchini before or after measuring out 2 cups?

Because the ingredients say “2 cups finely grated zucchini,” you will grate the zucchini and then measure it. When the instructions or description come between the measurement and the ingredient, you follow those instructions before measuring.

Can I bake this in a 9×13-inch pan instead of a bundt pan?

Yes! If you don’t have a bundt pan, don’t stress.

Spread the batter into a grease 13×9-inch pan instead and bake for 35-40 minutes. When it comes time to glaze the cake, simply spread the glaze over the top before serving.