Lemon Zucchini Bread

Yeah, I know, it’s weird.  We have regular zucchini bread. We have chocolate zucchini bread (seriously, it’s awesome!).  We have snickerdoodle zucchini bread.  But lemon zucchini bread?? Color me intrigued…

My love affair with lemon is legendary and long-standing. But something about this recipe kind of weirded me out, so I kept passing over it and trying other things. Then I told myself to put my big girl pants on and give it a try.

First, I had to shred zucchini, and anyone who knows me can tell you that I absolutely HATE shredding things—mostly because I usually end up shredding my fingers too. But I survived. (Also, you can use a food processor.)

And lemon zest is the best! It’s basically an excuse to make any recipe.

I also decided to make this recipe a little healthier so it would be a good breakfast food (vs. a dessert), so I used way less glaze than the recipe called for.

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a 9×5″ loaf pan with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs well, then add the eggs, oil, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the dry ingredients, and mix well (it’ll be pretty thick).

Finally, fold in the shredded zucchini and stir together until it becomes a messy batter, but don’t overmix.

See? Messy.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the loaf completely. It’s best to tip it out onto a wire rack after it’s cooled in the pan for about 10 minutes.

When the loaf is almost cool, stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice for the glaze.

I used WAY less powdered sugar than the recipe called for, because I wanted this to be healthier.

Drizzle the glaze all over the bread and let it set.

I found this such an interesting take on zucchini bread, and when I had a piece the night I made I wasn’t really quite sure if I loved it.

I mean, I LIKED it—but love? However, the next morning once the crumb had really set and the glaze had really soaked in, I had a piece (or two or three) for breakfast and loved it.

Other delightful lemon dessert recipes:

• The Most Amazing, Moist Lemon-Orange Pound Cake
• Lemon White Chocolate Lava Cakes
• Meyer Lemon Syrup Cake with Jam Swirls
• Lemon Cornstarch Pudding

Lemon Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze

Yield: One 9×5″ loaf

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

This delicious lemon zucchini bread is such an interesting flavor combination, and so easy to make!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of canola oil
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of buttermilk
• Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup of grated zucchini (not peeled); about 1 small-to-medium zucchini
• Lemon Glaze
• 1 cup powdered sugar (NOTE, I used only about 1/3 cup; less sweet, healthier)
• Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 tablespoons lemon juice)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease (and flour, if you like to  do this) a 9×5″ loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs well, then add the eggs, oil, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the dry ingredients and stir everything together.
4. Finally, fold in the shredded zucchini until it becomes a messy batter (but don’t overmix!).
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Obviously, you know your oven, so make sure to keep an eye on it.
6. Cool the loaf completely; you can tip it out onto a wire rack after 10 minutes if you like.
7. When it's mostly cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice until well blended, then spoon the glaze over the cooled loaf. Let the glaze set, then serve.

Notes

• I wanted this to be more breakfast vs. dessert, so only used 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in the glaze rather than 1 cup
• You could definitely substitute some whole wheat flour in here

Recommended Products

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  Microplane Zester/Grater
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Original recipe here