This one-bowl courgette cake is easy, moist and delicious! The loaf 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.
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 cake, 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.
steSince the courgette cake isn't overly sweet, it really balances well with the zingy lemon drizzle. You'll also love my Lemon Drizzle Cake.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
A tasty way to use up courgettes (aka zucchini).
The easy lemon drizzle makes this courgette cake extra special.
It's an easy 1-bowl cake recipe.
This is a hidden vegetable cake recipe that everyone will love.
It's moist and flavorful.
There's a bit less sugar than in usual cakes but still tastes incredible.
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!
Check out these other vegetable cake recipes:
Courgette / Zucchini
I’m a terrible 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. Perfect with a bowl of courgette soup!
I also love courgette fritters and courgette blueberry muffins. Courgette dip is awesome too!.
Be sure to also check out these great Courgette Recipes.
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.
An older, larger courgette is called marrow.
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 tablespoon of ground flax stirred into 6 tablespoon 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!
Step by step tutorial
Wondering how to make courgette cake? Read on!
Follow this step by step photo tutorial, then scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and method.
It's really easy to make this easy zucchini 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.
Check out the Veggie Desserts + Cakes cookbook on Amazon
Thanks for checking out my courgette cake 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
📖 Recipe
Courgette Cake with Lemon Drizzle
Equipment
Ingredients
- 350 g (3 cups) courgette (zucchini) raw, approximately 1-2 medium
- 125 ml (½ cup) vegetable oil plus extra for greasing
- 2 free-range eggs
- 100 g (½ cup) white granulated sugar
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
For the lemon glaze
- 85 g (¾ cup) powdered icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- lemon zest to decorate
Instructions
- Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F. 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.
Video
Notes
- Suitable for freezing
- Make it vegan: use flax eggs
- Make it gluten-free: use gluten free flour and baking powder.
- 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.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Chris
Very yummy and tasty.
Dawn Morris
Lovely light and flavoursome cake. Plus it's a perfect way to get my partner and her children to eat courgettes. I skewered the cake, added more lemon juice to some of the glaze mix and made it more of a lemon drizzle cake. So delicious that I'll have to freeze it in slices to stop me eating it too quickly!
Carol
Delicious and easy!
Janice
I made your courgette loaf cake and it’s an absolute triumph! Such an amazing texture, and the lemon really complements the courgettes. I’ll be making a few of these for the freezer while I, awash with courgettes!
Rebbekka
My kids hate courgette apparently unless I hide it very well and this cake recipe they'll never know it's true ingredients. Another one of mum's secret cakes that the whole family loved and enjoyed. Highly recommend. Making this again as need to get rid of extra produce iv grown.
Ama
Another fabulous recipe! My parents are on low sugar diets so I left off the glaze and it was still so delicious. I think our old style loaf plan is slightly smaller than a 2lb so this cake ended up huge!
Jan
I saw this and it looks just divine!!! Can't wait to try it on my granddaughter- hope she doesn't kick me LOL ! xoxo Jan