This Lemon Zucchini Cake is bright and full of sweet tangy flavor! Put that garden zucchini to use and make a perfect bundt cake for breakfast, tea time or dessert.
Got more zucchini than you can eat or freeze? Bake a couple loaves of Zucchini Carrot Bread too! Or give our favorite zucchini muffins a try next.
Why This Cake is Best
I make a lot of zucchini recipes in the summer because my garden is often overflowing with the stuff. Adding the sunny zip of lemon to a favorite zucchini cake recipe was a no-brainer.
- Moist lemon cake. Shredded zucchini in the batter keeps this cake moist for days.
- Zesty flavor and aroma. If you adore lemon desserts, our lemon zucchini cake recipe is bound to become a new favorite.
- Lemon glaze. The sweet icing has just the right amount of bright citrusy tang. A perfect topping for a lemon zucchini bundt cake!
If you love lemon and zucchini together, you’ll have to try our lemon zucchini muffins or lemon zucchini bread recipe next!
Ingredient Notes
For the batter, you’ll need standard baking ingredients including flour, sugar and eggs. A few key additions set this cake apart from the crowd.
- Shredded zucchini. Learn how to shred zucchini to add amazing moisture to recipes like this zucchini cake.
- Lemon juice and zest. Juice provides acidity and tang, while the zest gives the cake its lemon aroma and flavor. Use our guide on how to zest a lemon for best tips.
- Lemon extract. A spoonful of this highly concentrated natural extract amplifies the lemon flavor even more!
Easy Instructions
First, Make the batter.
Start by beating together the sugar, oil and eggs. Mix in the lemon zest and juice along with the lemon extract.
Now add the remaining dry ingredients and mix to combine. Fold in the shredded zucchini last.
Bake the cake.
Pour the batter into a greased bundt pan. Bake lemon zucchini cake for about one hour.
After baking, let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes. Inverted it onto a cake plate and let it cool completely.
Add glaze and garnish.
Finally, whisk together the glaze ingredients and pour it over the cooled lemon zucchini cake.
I also love sprinkling some extra lemon zest mixed with sugar over the cake. It gives it a beautiful finishing touch!
Tips and Tricks
- How to store: A cake saver is the best way! It will keep your lemon zucchini cake fresh and moist for about 3 days at room temperature.
- Don’t forget to grease the pan! Use a generous amount of baking spray to coat the inside of your bundt pan. Bundt cakes are prone to sticking if the pan is not greased thoroughly. Use our homemade cake release for best results.
- For perfect frosting: Whisk in the lemon juice a little at a time until the icing reaches your desired consistency. You want it thick but easy to pour.
Recipe FAQs
You can use a few different methods to zest the lemons for this recipe. Read my complete guide for how to zest a lemon to learn everything you need to know!
Yes, frozen shredded zucchini works well in this cake recipe. Thaw it in the refrigerator then give it a little squeeze with paper towels to remove any excess water.
Lemon juice has a far less concentrated flavor than lemon extract so it won’t give the cake the same flavor.
If you don’t have lemon extract, you can make the cake without it. It just won’t be quite as lemony.
You sure can. This recipe makes enough batter to fill a standard half-sheet baking pan or two round layer cake pans.
More Fall Baking
- Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake: super moist and fudgy!
- Crunchy Streusel Zucchini Bread: this is my all-time favorite zucchini bread recipe!
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Pumpkin Roll
- Banana Zucchini Bars
- Apple Cider Donuts
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Lemon Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini
For the Frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with baking spray (or grease and flour the pan generously). Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil and eggs until well blended. Add in lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract. Beat well.
- Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat for 2-3 minutes. Fold in shredded zucchini.
- Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 60 minutes. Remove and cool in pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a cake plate and cool completely before adding the frosting.
- For the frosting, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Add more or less juice for desired consistency. Pour evenly over the top of the cooled cake.
- For the garnish, in a small bowl combine the lemon zest with granulated sugar. Mix with your fingers until fully combined. Sprinkle over cake. Store cake at room temperature in a cake saver for up to 3 days. ENJOY!
Notes
- How to store: A cake saver is the best way! It will keep your lemon zucchini cake fresh and moist for about 3 days.
- Don’t forget to grease the pan! Use a generous amount of baking spray to coat the inside of your tube pan. Bundt cakes are prone to sticking if the pan is not greased thoroughly.
- For perfect frosting: Whisk in the lemon juice a little at a time until the glaze reaches your desired consistency. You want it thick but easy to pour.
Nutrition
Lemon Zucchini Cake is easy to make with the zip of fresh lemon and a perfect sweet glaze on top!
Did you peel the zucchini first?
Ohh wow! what a lovely dish. The cake is looking so delicious. I will definitely try this recipe at home. And please keep sharing recipes like this.
I just made this cake. Not sure what happened – it didn’t rise correctly. The outside of the cake rose but the middle just kept sinking further and further into the pan. Not sure what made that happen.
The same thing happened to me! I’m not sure what went wrong, but it completely sunk in.
Delicious! And I have so much zucchini I’ll be making another!
Yay!! So glad you liked it 🙂
This cake looks so moist, I can almost taste it through my screen
This cake looks so moist, I can almost taste it through my screen …. lol. I want to ask you… can I use a different cake pan, as I do not have a bundt pan ??
Um yeah who woulnd’t spoon all that lemon glaze love. Lemon glaze is honestly in my top 3 frostings. So darn simple yet scrumptious. I have never baked with zucchini I need to change that! SO jelly of your garden! Wish I could stop by for a cuppa and a slice of this gorgeous cake! XO
How refreshing!
This is the first year with a garden at our new house, too, and our zucchini is a little out of control! Definitely need to make this cake!
What a gorgeous, summery cake! I didn’t plant any zucchini this year but my in-laws did, so I’m putting the next one we get from them to good use — with extra lemon glaze, of course! 🙂
Enjoy the cake Sam 🙂
I don’t have a garden this year, BUT I have been buying loads of zucchini from my farmer’s market! This cake is just calling my name. I love the addition of lemon in here! Sounds SO good!
This cake is kinda of awesome! I need some zucchinis!
There’s no better way to attack the zucchini inundation than with cake in my opinion 🙂 Love the combination of lemon with it in this!
Ha, couldn’t agree more 🙂
Dear Aimee, this cake looks so light and moist. What a delicious dessert. I love baking with zucchini. The Facebook group sounds like a great resource too! Have a wonderful day.
You sound like me. I am going to be making zucchini recipes galore for the next month and probably giving all the neighbors baskets of them to. I don’t know what possessed me to plant 3 zucchini plants! First on the list is definitely this cake, it looks so good!
I planted 3 as well, because one or two always wilt early in the season. Of course, not this year…haha!!
This cake looks fabulous! I love the idea of CSAs and I can’t wait to join one once I’m out of school 🙂
This cake looks delicious, What a great way to use up some extra Zucchini!
I didn’t do a CSA this year, but last time I did, I was inundated with zucchini, too. Cake is the PERFECT solution!
That looks so moist! And I’m in love with the lemon-zucchini flavor combination! This sounds fantastic!
Wow. I never even though to combine lemon and zucchini, but now my mind is officially blown. I’m thinking about how amazing those two would be together, and now I’m about to head for the kitchen and find out! This looks amazing. It’s time to zest!