Lemon zucchini cake might be the most underrated summer bake! It has the moist, tender crumb you want in a snack cake, a citrus punch from the fresh lemon, and a crunchy lemon glaze that makes it feel special. One bowl, no mixer, 15 minutes of prep, and you have a cake ready to go in the oven. The simple recipe uses oil instead of butter and is perfect for a busy weeknight and special enough for entertaining. If you have an abundance of zucchini from the garden, this zucchini cake should definitely be on your baking list!
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As a busy mama and self taught baker, I am always drawn to easy snack cakes. I have been baking with zucchini for years and this cake is one of my favorites.
The zucchini melts right into the batter keeping every slice incredibly tender and moist (like my blueberry zucchini bread). The almond flour adds a subtle nuttiness and keeps the crumb texture super soft. The olive oil brings moisture that you just can’t get from butter and makes this cake even faster to make. The best part is my kids devour it!
🍰 what makes this zucchini cake special?
- No mixer needed, just a bowl and a whisk.
- The crunchy lemon glaze adds a sweet, tart crackly finish with rustic simplicity vibes.
- A perfect way to use up zucchini!
🍋 ingredient notes
This recipe was adapted from the late Gina DePalma’s zucchini olive oil cake and I made a few tweaks to simplify it and let the lemon shine. I reduced the batter, used an 8-inch round pan and swapped in almond flour for ease and texture. I also thickened the glaze so it sets with a light crackly crunch to it. If you love lemon desserts, my lemon blondies are another easy one to add to your rotation.
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
Lemon ~ you need one small to medium size lemon. The zest goes into the cake batter and the juice into the icing. Zest it first, then juice it (my favorite zesting tool).
Olive oil ~ I tested this cake with both olive oil and vegetable oil and both work well. Olive oil gives a slightly richer flavor and is what I prefer, but use what you have.
Almond flour ~ this is one of my favorite tweaks to this recipe. It gives the zucchini cake a softer, more tender crumb. I use it with all-purpose flour, which gives it great structure.
Zucchini ~ use one small zucchini, finely grated. I use the smallest size on my box grater. Small zucchini have fewer seeds and less water, which is exactly what we want. Once grated you’ll have about 150g.
🥣 how to make this easy cake in photos
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare an 8-inch round baking pan by buttering it and lining the bottom with a parchment paper round. Set aside.
Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest (from a small-medium lemon) to a mixing bowl. Use your clean fingers to rub the zest into the sugar.
Then add the kosher salt, eggs, olive oil and vanilla to the lemon sugar. Use a whisk or hand mixer to beat until light and fully combined.
Now whisk in the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and almond flour until fully combined.
Then add the flour and finely shredded zucchini and stir with a spatula to fully combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and lightly drop the pan on the counter once or twice to remove any big air bubbles.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
While the cake is cooling, make the lemon glaze.
After the cake has cooled 10 minutes, remove it to a wire rack and spread the lemon icing over the top.
Then let cool completely.
💬 frequently asked questions
do I need to drain the zucchini?
Nope, no squeezing or salting required! Just finely grate it and add it to the cake batter. The moisture from the zucchini is part of what keeps this lemon zucchini cake so moist and tender.
can I use a different pan?
You can use a 9-inch round or 8x8 square, but the cake will be a little thinner. You will need to reduce the bake time, so check it 5-10 minutes early. The original recipe is baked in a bundt pan, but you will want to double the ingredients.
👩🏻🍳 tips for the best lemon zucchini cake
Rub the zest into the sugar. Don’t skip this step! It only takes 30 seconds and releases the lemon oils into the sugar, which gives you a more flavorful cake. I do this in my margarita cookies too and it makes such a difference.
Grate the zucchini finely. Finely grated zucchini disappears into the batter and creates a smooth crumb. Coarsely grated zucchini will leave bigger pieces and may change the texture.
Use room temperature eggs. Room temperature eggs incorporate into the batter more easily and help to give the cake better rise and texture. To bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm tap water for 5-10 minutes.
Don’t over bake! Pull the cake from the oven when the toothpick has a few moist crumbs. It will continue to set as it cools and you want every slice to be nice and moist. If your oven runs hot, start checking at 25 minutes.
Pour the glaze on while the cake is still warm. This is key! A warm cake soaks in a little of that lemon icing and the rest sets up with a lovely crunchy top. If you wait until the cake is cool, it may not adhere as well.
If you love lemon desserts, my lemon raspberry bars are another great recipe to add to your lineup.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make this Moist Lemon Zucchini Cake. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
📖 recipe
Moist Lemon Zucchini Cake with Crackly Lemon Glaze
recipe created and tested by:
I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Please note
When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.
Ingredients
lemon zucchini cake
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150g
- Zest of 1 lemon small to medium
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup olive oil* 118mL
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup almond flour 56g
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 125g
- 1 small zucchini finely grated 150g**
crunchy lemon glaze
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
- ½ cup confectioners sugar 60g
- Juice of half the lemon you zested***
Instructions
lemon zucchini cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare an 8-inch round baking pan by buttering it and lining the bottom with a parchment paper round. Set aside.
- Add the granulated sugar (¾ cup/150g) and lemon zest (from a small-medium lemon) to a mixing bowl. Use your clean fingers to rub the zest into the sugar.
- Then add the kosher salt (½ teaspoon), eggs (2 large), olive oil (½ cup/118mL) and vanilla (1 teaspoon) to the lemon sugar. Use a whisk or hand mixer to beat until light and fully combined, about 3 minutes.
- Now whisk in the cinnamon (1 teaspoon), nutmeg (¼ teaspoon), baking powder (½ teaspoon), baking soda (¼ teaspoon), and almond flour (½ cup/56g) until fully combined, about 1 minute.
- Then add the flour (1 cup/125g) and finely shredded zucchini (1 small/150g) and stir with a spatula to fully combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and lightly drop the pan on the counter once or twice to remove any big air bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. While the cake is cooling, make the lemon glaze.
crunchy lemon glaze
- In a small bowl, add the granulated sugar (¼ cup/50g) and confectioners’ sugar (½ cup/60g). Then add the juice of half the lemon, stirring until you have a thick glaze. Slowly add more juice, if needed.
- Once the lemon zucchini cake has cooled for 10 minutes, run a knife along the sides of the pan and move the cake to a wire rack. Now spoon the lemon glaze over the top of the cake and let the cake cool completely, about 1-2 hours.
- Slice into desired size pieces and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
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