This recipe is all over the Internet. So, when a friend asked me to make it for her family, I jumped right in.
As written, I could see that the recipe might be a little heavy, so I made a couple very minor changes and it produced a wonderfully moist, tender and delicious cake. I hope you’ll try it, it’s a breeze to make and our grandson labeled it “decadent” (that’s a good thing, I think? hahaha).
LEMON BLUEBERRY ZUCCHINI CAKE
2 cups finely shredded zucchini (squeezed dry)
1 pint fresh blueberries (I used about 2 cups)
3 eggs (I used room temperature eggs)
1 cup vegetable oil (I use canola)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract (my addition)
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 cups CAKE FLOUR (recipe originally said AP flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350° and generously grease AND flour two 8″ round cake pans (even if they are no stick).
Grate the zucchini (I used 2 small zucchini because they are very tender) and put then in a clean dish towel. Twist the towel closed around the zucchini and squeeze out the extra liquid (you will get quite a bit out), just keep twisting. Set aside.
Beat room temperature eggs, oil, vanilla extract, lemon extract and sugar together till well mixed. Fold in shredded zucchini by hand.
Sift the CAKE FLOUR (regular flour will work but it will give you a much heavier cake) into a large bowl, then gently dip in your measuring cup and level off the cup with a straight edge. Add 3 of these sifted cups of cake flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well in between each addition, but don’t over mix.
Fold in the blueberries (save a few out for decoration). Divide the batter in between the 2 prepared cake pans. Gently drop the pans on the counter to dislodge any possible air pockets.
Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes. My electric oven took exactly 35 minutes. Test for doneness with the toothpick test.
Cool in cake pans for 20 minutes, then gently turn out of pan, onto a baking rack. Wrap the HOT cakes in plastic wrap and let cool completely.
When completely cool, unwrap the cakes and frost with lemon buttercream frosting and decorate with more blueberries.
Frosting
1 cup room temperature high quality butter (no substitutions)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add everything else and beat on high till light and fluffy.