This moist one-bowl zucchini cake / courgette cake is a great way to use up seasonal gluts. The cake has reduced sugar, so much of the sweetness comes from the lemon drizzle. The flavour of the courgette fades away beneath the zingy lemon, but leaves pretty flecks of green. Dairy free and easily vegan, gluten-free.
Courgette Cake
What better way to eat the fruits of our labour than in cake. Courgettes are mild, so are a green vegetable that kids are usually pretty happy to eat.
In this courgette loaf they’re not exactly hidden, but neither are they a boring plate of veg.
The lemon works beautifully with the courgette and really lifts it into a springy/summery dessert.
Since the cake isn’t overly sweet, it really balances well with the zingy lemon drizzle. You’ll also love my Lemon Drizzle Cake.
Vegetable cake recipes
Since I wrote my cookbook Veggie Desserts + Cakes, I’ve taken a bit of a break from creating vegetable cake recipes for you!
As you can imagine, I made a LOT for the book and tested them all quite a few times.
But I’ve got my vegetable cake mojo back now, so I’m pleased to bring you this courgette cake with a zesty lemon drizzle.
It’s also known as zucchini bread, which is super popular in North America, where I’m from. In fact it’s as ubiquitous as carrot cake there.
Often it’s paired with chocolate chips, but I’ve decided to make it summery with lemon this time.
Lime courgette cake is awesome too, just substitute lime for the lemon in my recipe!
Not to diss my beloved chef legends, but I greatly prefer my version to Mary Berry or Nigella Courgette Cakes, and I hope you do too!
Courgette / Zucchini
I’m a rubbish gardener. I’m not at all proud of this fact, but no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to grow anything.
Actually, that’s likely the problem. I don’t really, honestly try.
I have good intentions, but they’re marred by poor effort.
I can happily peruse a garden centre, picking up pots of herbs or vegetable plants, dreams of self-sufficiency and an autumn harvest dancing in my head.
But at home, once I can be bothered to plant them, I’m unlikely to routinely water, tend for and even remember the plants.
Basically, I’m extremely lazy.
Courgette recipes
I love cooking with courgettes as they’re so versatile. You can eat raw courgettes in a salad or spiralize it into courgetti with pea mint sauce or courgetti and beet balls.
I also love courgette fritters and courgette blueberry muffins.
For baking, you can make it tropical in a courgette mango cake with coconut icing.
Is zucchini the same as courgette?
Yes! Zucchini (zoo-KEE-knee) is the North American name, while courgette (coor-ZSHETTE) is the European name, but they’re both the same summer squash.
Often this recipe would be called zucchini loaf or zucchini bread in North America, but in Britain it’s considered a cake, even though it’s cooked in a loaf pan.
Cook’s Tips
- Don’t skip the step to remove some moisture from the grated courgette. Otherwise the cake will be soggy!
- This zucchini loaf cake itself has reduced sugar, but still kid and adult approved. You can go as heavy or as easy on the sugary lemon drizzle as you like.
- You can substitute the courgette for marrow (older courgette).
- This recipe is for a 900g / 2lb loaf pan – which is the typical size pan for bread making (approx 23cm x 13cm x 7cm (9 inches x 5.5 inches x 3 inches).
- No need to peel the raw courgette – a lot of goodness is in the green skin.
- Swap the lemon for lime for a different flavour.
Special Diets
- Make it gluten-free by using gluten free flour and baking powder.
- Make it vegan: swap eggs for flax eggs (2 tbsp of ground flax stirred into 6 tbsp of water and allow to stand for 5 minutes to become gelatinous)
- This is a dairy free courgette cake.
How to freeze zucchini
You can freeze zucchini. Simply cut into chunks, blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, cool completely and then freeze in a suitable container or bag.
Use in stews, soups etc..
To freeze grated zucchini, squeeze out the excess moisture into a clean tea towel, then freeze in a bag or container. Use next time you make this loaf cake!
How to make Zucchini / Courgette Cake – Step by step
It’s really easy to make this cake, and you only need one bowl, plus a 900g / 2lb loaf tin to cook it.
1 – Use a box grater or food processor to make the grated courgette. Lightly squeeze the gratings in a clean tea towel or with kitchen paper to remove a bit of the moisture.
2 – Mix the oil, eggs (or flax eggs), sugar, zest and lemon juice until smooth.
3 – Stir in the grated zucchini.
4 – Sift in the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.
5 – Gently combine the flour mixture into the wet mixture, taking care not to overmix.
6 – Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake.
Get the Courgette Cake recipe
Thanks for checking out my recipe! I love hearing from my readers. You all allow me to do what I love and write this food blog, sharing vegetarian and vegan recipes, vegetable cake recipes and also easy vegan desserts.
Kate x
Courgette Cake with Lemon Drizzle
Easily vegan and gluten free.
Ingredients
- oil - for greasing
- 350 g (3 cups) courgette (zucchini) raw, approximately 1-2 medium
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
- 2 free-range eggs
- 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 300 g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ½ tsp sea salt
For the lemon glaze
- 85 g (3/4 cup) powdered icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- lemon zest to decorate
Instructions
- Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/350F. Grease a 900g/2lb loaf tin and line with baking paper.
- Coarsely grate the unpeeled raw courgettes (in a box grater or food processor). Lightly squeeze the gratings in a clean tea towel to remove a little of the moisture.
- In a large bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, sugar, zest and juice together until smooth, then stir in the courgette. Sift in the flour, bicarb, baking powder and salt and gently combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 75 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin completely.
For the lemon drizzle
- Mix the lemon juice and icing sugar together until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake and sprinkle with the lemon zest.
Recipe Tips
- Suitable for freezing
- Make it vegan: use flax eggs
- Make it gluten-free: use gluten free flour and baking powder
Mandy
Gorgeous, so easy to make, very subtle flavours, lovely light cake. My kids & family ate half of it before I’d had chance to add the London drizzle!! Already had requests for another one .. it apparently freezes too ..a Def winner, thanks Kate x
Bekki
Lovely cake. Easy to make and delicious.
Jan T
Excellent recipe, so easy. Made as 2 x 1lb cakes (freezing one un-iced, to see if it freezes well). I was dubious about the texture of the batter, it seemed very plastic-y and sticky; when cooled it had a bit of a cooked veg smell so all in all I had no great expectations! In fact I just made half quantity of icing so as not to waste any more money and ingredients. However with the lemon icing and zest it was delicious, really lemony and no taste from the courgettes at all. The texture was lovely, light and moist. One to keep, thank you for the recipe.
Minnie
Hi,
We just tried this and the 85g icing sugar with one tablespoon of lemon juice doesn’t seem to be the right consistency. It was hardly enough to mix with the powder and so we ended up adding the juice of a whole lemon. Do you mind checking this ratio ?
Thanks!
Amanda
This cake was loved even by my non courgette eating family and it uses up more of the courgettes than some other recipes I looked at. Tastes amazing and so easy to do. I’m about to make another one as I know it will all get eaten in no time.
Emma Preston-Steed
Beautiful cake! So easy to make and super yummy! Thank you!
Aish
Can I replace the plain flour with whole wheat flour?
Elizabeth Stevens
Very moist it used up several courgettes which was good! We’ll finish it with cheese and walnuts I think.
Emily
Fantastic cake! Super easy to make and really tasty. I didn’t bother with the lemon drizzle and even the cake by itself was lovely.
Helen
My daughter cried when I told her I was making courgette cake and kicked me she was so upset. Then she tried it and now wants it for her 6th birthday cake. It’s fabulous. We replace lemon with lime. Thank you xxx
Lesley Seville
Your daughter kicked you??
Nicky Richards
First time I actually bought a courgette, just wanted to try something new and my gosh this cake is amazing. It was very easy to follow. Thabks for the recipe
Marika Haseldine
Hello. How much baking powder should I use if making it gluten free? Thanks
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Marika
If you’re using plain gluten free flour, then it’s just the same amount of baking powder (1 tsp). Double check that your BP is gluten free (most is in the UK, but other countries may differ).
Happy baking and let me know how your gluten free version turns out!
Kate
x
Michele
Kate, this Courgette Cake is simply divine!
Lorna
Lovely recipe, thank you. I made it yesterday using self-raising flour rather than plain and it was delicious. I’ll be making it again.
Rob
This courgette cake was mouthwatering. I love how the bread is so soft. Also, I love lemon drizzle for giving the cake a twist. Thank you for sharing.
Kath
I’ve just put my lemon courgette cake into the oven!
So looking forward to tea time!
Thankyou for this lovely, easy recipe.
Linda Newnham
Absolutely loved this recipe. I substituted gluten flour and hemp oil, i didn’t have to cook it for quite as long but it came out just fine. Thanks for sharing x
Traci
Is there anything better than zucchini baked goods during the dog days of summer? I don’t think so! This cake looks outstanding and I can’t wait to give it a go! Just pinned…and I love how informative this post is. Thanks!
Tamara
I made this last week to use up courgettes and it was so good. Moist and lemony! A friend shared the recipe on facebook. Thanks!
Lisa G
This zucchini cake is absolutely gorgeous — and zucchini is so plentiful now that I’m going to have to give it a try. Though I don’t have a garden, I certainly enjoy the garden-fresh produce that’s in the markets.
Julia
My mom has garden full of enormous zucchinis and she has been looking for new ways to use it! This is just the right recipe 🙂
shelby
This is a gorgeous loaf! I love that you’ve reduced the sugars. It makes me wish I had a garden (or neighbors with extra zucchini!)
Chloe
Vegetables in a cake makes it healthy, right? Right????? This looks so tasty! Your photography is STUNNING.
Sam Jeffery
Wow I had never thought of using courgette in a cake before, but this recipe makes it look really easy & the final cake looks so delicious!
WhatLauraLoves
Who’d have thought you could make a cake out of courgette! This is genius! xxx
Izza
We’ve never eaten courgette cake before but love that you’ve combined it with our favourite lemon drizzle! Going to give it a try!
Yeah Lifestyle
What a tasty looking cake and a great way to get children to eat veggies they may usually try to avoid!
Elizabeth
Courgettes make for such a wonderful addition to cakes, I find. I like hiding mine in a dense chocolate loaf, but I love the light lemon flavour in this one.
Katie
Courgette cake is probably one of my absolute favourites. I just love it, it’s so tasty and moist!
Katie xoxo
Jennifer
I love vegetable cakes! This one looks so moist and tasty. I need to try it soon.
Sheryl
This looks so inviting!! It’s a great way to sneak in veggies into a cake! Something different from our usual Carrot cakes! Will definitely give this a try!
michelle twin mum
Oh yes I’d love this, My friend makes an amazing courgette and lime load cake with cream cheese frosting, so good. Mich x
Samantha
This courgette cake looks incredible. Bookmarking to make it when my courgettes at the allotment get bigger!
LaaLaa
What a good way to get vegetables into something especially for kids. Looks moreish and moist – love it x
Fritha Quinn
this looks so good, I love anything with courgette and it’s a great way to sneak some veggies in the kids treats! x
Aish
Drool! I have never tried a zuchini cake even though they are all the range at the mo! This looks delicious and I need to try it!
Rita
I first saw courgette cake on a TV show. It looks so good I can’t wait to try it !