Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s to the garden I go! And come back with loads of zucchini. And then bake with it. It’s in my blood people. This Lemon Blueberry Cake with loads of gorgeous Zucchini is going to be your new favorite dessert!! Don’t miss my 50 Best Cake Recipes if you want to be inspired!
Lemon Blueberry Cake
This cake is seriously amazing. The combination of lemons and blueberry is timeless, and adding in zucchini (courgettes)is the BEST way to add moisture! I used whole fresh blueberries in the cake and then added copious amounts of lemon flavor and zest to the cake and frosting. I think you will find that this cake is just plain perfect. Try my Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls for more of this timeless combination.
Zucchini in Baking
Some folks wonder why do I use zucchini in baking. First off, I love zucchini. It works amazingly as a savory side or is incorporated into desserts. No, you cannot taste the zucchini itself when you are baking, but you do reap the benefits of this vegetable that is packed with moisture.
This cake is moist! Like amazingly so. I popped my cake into the freezer right after baking only because I wanted a nice clean cut. But I do recommend eating when it is still warm and the zucchini bits are lounging around the bursting blueberries in a delightful way.
Can I Use Frozen Blueberries?
Yes, you can! I do recommend allowing them to thaw first. The cake may also be tinted more of a blueish color as the thawed blueberries will bleed a bit more.
Can I Make this Into Bread?
Absolutely. Pour batter into 4 mini loaf pans and bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick is removed with crumbs, but no wet batter.
More Zucchini Treats
Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups finely shredded and lightly drained zucchini
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature
- 1 cup (224g) vegetable oil
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups (450g) granulated sugar
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pint fresh blueberries, you can reserve a few for garnish if so desired
Lemon Buttercream
- 1 cup (226g) butter, room temperature
- 3½ cups confectioners' sugar
- juice of one lemon
- zest of one lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans with butter and flour or use non-stick baking spray.
- Grate a large zucchini (or two small zucchini) and place in a clean dish towel. Life the edges of the towel up and squeeze some of the extra moisture out, but you do not want the zucchini to be dry. You will want 2 total cups of shredded zucchini after it has been drained. Set aside.
- In a large bowl and using a hand mixer, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini.
- Slowly stir in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans.
- Bake 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Lemon Buttercream
- Combine butter, sugar and salt and beat until well combined.
- Add lemon juice and vanilla and continue to beat for another 3 to 5 minute or until creamy.
- Fold in zest (If you are piping this buttercream, I recommend leaving out the zest).
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
If you like this cake be sure to check out my other amazing Zucchini Recipes!
Like these Double Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes. Seriously the best chocolate cupcakes, ever!
Spectacular! Was asked for recipe after I took it to a party. I do not consider myself a very good bake and this was perfect.
can you make this in a Bundt pan
yes
can this recipe be made in Bundt pan
Has anyone tried to make this with gluten free flour? I’d love to try!
I have used Namaste GF flour and it works great.
This is delicious. I made the recipe as-is with blueberries and froze the cakes. But as I was sad I had to save the cakes for another event, I also made a batch using raspberries, and made them in a cupcake pan. Only took 20 minutes. Equally as tasty. I haven’t made the frosting yet though, I got lazy and decided muffins were sufficient, no need to go the cupcake route.
The other deviation I took was that I used a Kitchen Aid for all the mixing, so I folded in the zucchini and the blueberries by hand, separately at the end of step 4, rather than in the sequence listed above.
Good tips. Thanks for sharing!
I made this cake for my daughters summer bday party. It was absolutely delicious!
Any reason this wouldn’t work in a Bundt cake pan (no frosting)?
I MADE IT IN A BUNDT PAN LAST NIGHT – IT DOES TAKE LONGER TO COOK BUT DEFINITELY WORTH THE WAIT . I MADE A THIN LEMON GLAZE AND DRIZZLED IT OVER THE CAKE.
Im doing a bundt cake now.
How long is the baking time?
I made it and it was delicious and was enjoyed by all!
I made this cake for a co-worker who was leaving.. I was calling this my “spite” cake because this co-worker is not my favorite, but now I am going to have the change the name because it was soo good! The only thing I would do differently is use wax paper on the bottom because my layers got stuck. However, with some gentle taps it came out! You will not regret making this cake. I will make it again but call it my blueberry slic of happiness!! Enjoy!!!
My cake layers took much longer to bake than the recipe states. Also, very very moist, almost damp. Did anyone else have that happen?
Mine has been in the oven for almost an hour now and still not a clean poking stick…
How did it turn out? You may need to calibrate your oven. 🙂