Zucchini Lemon Blueberry Cake
Zucchini Lemon Blueberry Cake
2 cups finely shredded and lightly drained zucchini
3 eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature
1 cup (224g) vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups (450g) white sugar
3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 pint fresh blueberries, if using frozen it is recommended to thaw them first
Enough butter or vegetable shortening for coating the pan you're using to bake
1 cup (226g) butter, room temperature
3 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans with butter and flour or use non-stick baking spray - apply a thin coat of butter (or shortening) and a light layer of flour.
*If you don't have cake pans with these dimensions you might want to look up baking conversions for whatever size pans you do have and adjust accordingly.
Keeping in mind that you will want 2 total cups of shredded zucchini - grate a large zucchini (or two small zucchini) and place in a clean dish towel, cheese cloth, or colander. Using your draining method of choice, squeeze some of the extra moisture out of the grated zucchini, we mostly want any liquid that is pooling after shredding to be drained off, but we do not want the zucchini to be dry. Set aside.
*Sue Doeden has a simple tutorial that calls for salt in the zucchini grating process on YouTube - https://youtu.be/aCBInmBoCx0?si=vdyODUGPkCZN747Y if you use salt in your draining process it might be helpful to add less salt in step 4 but I would try to make sure about 1 tsp makes it into the batter in total.
In a large bowl and using a hand mixer, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini.
Slowly stir in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans.
Bake 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Combine butter, sugar and salt and beat until well combined.
Add lemon juice and vanilla and continue to beat for another 3 to 5 minute or until creamy.
Fold in zest (If you are piping this buttercream, Amanda recommends leaving out the zest).
I recommend frosting the top of one cake then stacking the other cake on top of that and frost the rest of the cake however you would like.
Doeden, Sue. Good Food, Good Life, 365 - Grated Zucchini. https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=qDsjufC3a-xJJnqz&v=aCBInmBoCx0&feature=youtu.be. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
Rettke, Amanda. ‘Lemon Blueberry Cake’. I Am Baker, 13 Aug. 2014, https://iambaker.net/blueberry-zucchini-cake-with-lemon-buttercream/.