Lemon Glazed Zucchini Olive Oil Cake

Filed under: Recipes

By Chef David Lebovitz

We feel you- saying goodbye to summer and its beautiful bounty is tough. So sweeten up the last dance and turn your vegetables into dessert.

Ingredients

Lemon Glaze:

  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

Zucchini Olive Oil Cake:

  • 1 cup almonds, walnuts, or pistachios, toasted
  • 2 ½ cups zucchini, grated
  • 1 cup AP flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 3 each eggs, room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

For the Lemon Glaze:

  1. In a small mixing bowl, combine lemon juice, granulated sugar, and confectioner’s sugar.
  2. Whisk until fully combined. Reserve.

For the Zucchini Olive Oil Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a bundt pan with butter and dust bottom and all sides with flour. Tap out the excess.
  2. Chop the toasted nuts into small pieces by hand or in a food processor. Reserve.
  3. Grate zucchini, and set aside.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the AP flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, ground cinnamon, and ginger powder. Set aside.
  5. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and olive oil for 3 minutes on medium speed. Once light in color and fluffy, scrape down the sides with a spatula. Add the vanilla extract.
  6. Stir in the dry ingredients, being sure to scrape down the sides and fully incorporate. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.
  7. Fold in chopped nuts and grated zucchini.
  8. Transfer the batter into prepared pan. Gently tap the pan on the counter to even out the surface.
  9. Bake for 45-50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
  10. Allow the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and glaze the top with lemon glaze. Allow to cool completely.