This Vegan Lemon Zucchini Cake is a summer symphony of sweet, zesty, and moist deliciousness! It’s tangy, lemony flavor is addicting and the green flecks of zucchini throughout the cake are a vibrant addition. It’s the perfect summer treat that is like a slice of sunshine, bursting with vibrant citrus flavor that’s simply irresistible. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to use up that abundant zucchini from the garden this summer!
This cake is the perfect summertime dessert, but it also goes great with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning🌞!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN LEMON ZUCHINNI CAKE
This cake is fuss-free and is made in a loaf pan and uses an easy to make zesty lemon glaze for the frosting . It is a very moist cake thanks to the applesauce that is used for the egg replacement and the olive oil which adds a light, subtle taste that complements the lemon and zucchini.
I recommend prepping all the ingredients first. Zesting the lemons, grating the zucchini, and measuring out all of the ingredients will realistically take about 20 – 30 mins. After that, the cake comes together rather quickly.
An important tip when making this vegan lemon zucchini cake is to squeeze all of the water out of the shredded zucchini. This will give a consistent texture to the cake each time it is baked. You can do this using a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
To get the most lemon flavor out of the lemon zest, I thoroughly mixed the lemon zest with the sugar before adding the other ingredients. This helps extract the aromatic oils from the lemon zest and imparts more lemon flavor throughout the cake.
Once the lemon zest is infused with the sugar, mix in the rest of the wet ingredients and fold in the shredded zucchini.
Mix the dry ingredients together and then pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Pour your cake batter into the lined loaf pan and bake in the oven for 50 mins, or until a toothpick stuck in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Once the cake cools you can add the glaze for an extra sweet touch. I added dehydrated lemons to the top of my cake for decoration.
BAKING TIPS FOR VEGAN LEMON ZUCHINNI CAKE
Squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini after shredding 2 cups of it! Place the shredded zucchini into a clean kitchen towel, cheese cloth, or paper towels and wring all the water out of it. This helps keeps the water content of the cake consistent every time and prevents the cake from being too soggy.
Zest the lemons before you juice them! Its always a bummer to squeeze the juice out of the lemons and then realize you didn’t zest them first! 🍋
Mix the lemon zest in the sugar first to get the aromatic oils infused throughout the cake.
The olive oil can be substituted will any oil you have on hand. Melted vegan butter, coconut oil, or any vegetable oil will work here.
You can swap the zucchini for yellow squash if that’s what you have on hand.
STORAGE TIPS FOR VEGAN LEMON ZUCHINNI CAKE
This vegan lemon zucchini cake can stay covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. However, if you live in a warm climate like I do (hello sunshine!), I recommend keeping it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. However, I seriously doubt this cake will last that long!
This cake can be frozen in slices as well for the occasional treat.
The Best Vegan Lemon Zucchini Cake
Equipment
- medium bowl
- large bowl
- box grater
- 9 x 6 loaf pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded zucchini squeezed dry
- 2 cups All purpose flour 300g sifted
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cups sugar 175 g
- 2 tbsp zest about 2 large lemons
- 1/2 cup olive oil 95 g can sub with vegetable oil or melted vegan butter
- 1/2 cup apple sauce 125 g
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla
Lemon glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar 145g
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp vegan cream or plant based milk
Decorative topping
- dehydrated lemon slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- Measure out and prepare all your ingredients. Shred 2 cups of zucchini and squeeze the water out of them using a clean kitchen towel. Set aside.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the flour and mix with a whisk. Set aside.
- Mix the lemon zest and sugar together. Add the olive oil, apple sauce, lemon juice, and vanilla together.
- Fold the zucchini into the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet zucchini mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes. Then, remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool completely (this is hardest step!).
- In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vegan cream. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
DID YOU MAKE VEGAN LEMON ZUCHINNI CAKE?
If you made The Best Lemon Zucchini Cake, I would really appreciate it if you could comment and leave a rating below. I would love to hear all about your experience. Thank you so much!
Super delicious and addictive cake with just the right amount of lemon flavor to make you want that second (or third…or fourth) slice. Tastes great warm, at room temp, and even cold! Officially deemed a summer cake but I think it would work well in all seasons!
Sounds delicious!