OMG it’s the cake you’ve been waiting for: LEMON BLUEBERRY ZUCCHINI CAKE!
I posted a video of this cake over on my Instagram page a few weeks ago and ya’ll went crazy for it. I mean I knew AK readers were lemon lovers, but this really took it to the next level — and for good reason too…THIS CAKE IS SIMPLY AMAZING.
It’s made in one bowl, and baked in one pan (no need to layer!). And, you’d never guess that that it’s healthier, gluten free or made with zucchini! I’m telling you, this healthy lemon blueberry cake is next level.
Lemon blueberry zucchini cake ingredients
This delicious gluten free blueberry zucchini cake is made with fresh, healthy produce like zucchini, lemons and blueberries, and is gluten free thanks to almond & oat flour. Just wait until you try that lemon buttercream. YUM. It’s easily dairy free, too! Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Zucchini: shredded zucchini adds the perfect amount of moisture to this cake so that we don’t have to use any oil. Be sure to measure the shredded zucchini, then squeeze it of excess moisture.
- Eggs: you’ll need two eggs in this cake recipe.
- Honey: this healthy blueberry zucchini cake is naturally sweetened with honey! You could also use pure maple syrup if you prefer but I love the honey + lemon combo.
- Lemon: we’re using both lemon juice and lemon zest for the ultimate lemon flavor.
- Almond extract: for that delicious lemon cake flavor.
- Almond flour: to keep this cake gluten free we’re using fine, blanched almond flour. I cannot recommend a substitute for the almond flour because it provides fat and texture for the recipe.
- Gluten free oat flour: we’re also mixing the almond flour with gluten free oat flour. It’s one of my favorite combos! See below for how to easily make it yourself! You could also try a 1:1 gluten free flour or regular all purpose flour, but please note that I haven’t tested this myself.
- Baking soda & salt: to bake this cake up properly.
- Blueberries: pile in fresh, juicy blueberries. Yes, please!
- For the frosting: the lemon buttercream is made up of butter (or vegan butter), powdered sugar, lemon juice & lemon zest.
How to make homemade oat flour
You can easily make your own gluten free oat flour by simply placing gluten free oats into a blender and blending or pulsing until they’re smooth and resemble flour. This is a super easy & affordable option. Be sure to measure out 1 cup of your oat flour after making it! It’s also important to make sure your oat flour is VERY fine. If you want to keep this cake gluten free, I suggest using gluten free oats to make your oat flour.
Tips for making this gluten free blueberry zucchini cake
- Squeeze out ALL of the extra moisture from your zucchini. This will ensure that the zucchini cake bakes up well and isn’t too moist. First measure the zucchini, then squeeze it of excess moisture.
- Zest your lemons before juicing them. This makes it much easier to get all of the zest from the rind!
- Toss your blueberries in a bit of oat flour before mixing them into the batter. This will ensure that the cake doesn’t turn completely blue and that the blueberries don’t fall to the bottom.
- To make this zucchini cake dairy free simply use a vegan buttery stick in the frosting (or swap for your favorite dairy free frosting & add a little lemon zest + lemon juice — we love Simple Mills frosting!)
How to store lemon blueberry zucchini cake
This gluten free lemon blueberry zucchini cake can actually be made 1-2 days ahead of time! You can also store it after you’ve frosted the cake, too.
How to store blueberry zucchini cake: feel free to keep the cake at room temp for one day. After that I recommend storing the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze: feel free to freeze this cake either frosted or unfrosted for up to 2 months. I recommend freezing it unfrosted for best results. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and then placing the cake in a zip-top freezer bag. When you’re ready to serve it, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, let the cake come to room temperature, frost it and serve it.
See how to make the lemon blueberry zucchini cake
I hope you love this easy lemon blueberry zucchini cake recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Stay tuned for more zucchini recipes all week, xo!
Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Cake with Lemon Frosting
Gorgeous lemon blueberry zucchini cake bursting with juicy blueberries and topped with a luscious lemon buttercream frosting. This easy, gluten free blueberry zucchini cake is made with a mix of oat and almond flour and naturally sweetened with honey. A delicious snacking cake perfect for using summer produce!
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (from 1 medium zucchini)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup honey
- zest from 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup packed blanched fine almond flour
- ¾ cup gluten free oat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For the blueberries:
- 1 heaping cup fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons gluten free oat flour
- For the lemon frosting:
- ½ cup butter (or sub vegan buttery stick), at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- To garnish:
- Extra blueberries for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- First, measure out 1 cup of shredded zucchini, then place shredded zucchini in a paper towel or cheese cloth and squeeze out all of the moisture/water. This is very important!
- Add shredded zucchini, eggs, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice and almond extract to a large bowl and whisk together until well combined.
- Next, add dry ingredients: almond flour, oat flour, baking soda and salt. Mix together with a wooden spoon until well combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, toss blueberries together with 2 tablespoons of oat flour. (This is to prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake while baking.) Fold coated blueberries into the batter.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. I know this is difficult but it’s critical (otherwise the frosting will melt and become a gooey mess!)
- Make the frosting: beat together butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest together on high with a hand mixer or in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Spread frosting over cooled cake. Garnish with a few blueberries. Cut into 9 slices and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
I do not recommend a substitution for almond flour, as that’s the only ‘fat’ in this recipe and helps to keep the cake moist and retain its texture.
If you’re looking for an oat flour sub, I think regular flour or GF 1:1 flour would work well, but haven’t tested it myself.
Cake can be made a day ahead of time. After a day, the cake should be transferred and stored in the fridge.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
More zucchini recipes to try
Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Spiced Zucchini Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Healthy Marbled Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread
Cheesy BBQ Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Sheet Pan Zucchini Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce
80 comments
Hi! Can I sub almond extract with vanilla extract? I am having trouble getting my hands on almond extract in Spain…
I used vanilla extract in this and it tasted fine to me!
Yes of course, or feel free to omit. Almond extract just tends to give it a lemon-y almond flavor.
Hi! This looks incredible and a perfect recipe for son’s 2 year old birthday next week. Any thoughts into making cupcakes with the batter? Thank you much!
Hi Sarah! I haven’t tried it, but let me know if you do 🙂
Has anyone made with regular flour? Almond flour is too expensive where I live.
Unfortunately no, I have only tested this as is.
This is the most amazing recipe I’ve ever seen. It really looks and even sounds delicious. And really its name is also very attractive.
It’s delicious!
Hello!
Looks yummy!
Question- if I shred my own zucchini should i squeeze out the liquid before adding?
Thanks!
Yes squeeze it out before adding it!
This recipe is incredible!! The cake is insanely good by itself, and the frosting is a perfect pairing. However, I think I may have added just a bit too much liquid as my buttercream frosting separated… it was still delicious!
So happy you loved it! Feel free to add some extra powdered sugar next time to help thicken it up 🙂
Can coconut butter be substituted for butter in the icing? This looks delicious!
I haven’t tried it but let me know if you do!
Another winner! I have truly never been disappointed with any recipe I have made from your site. I made this cake exactly to your recipe. Perfectly moist. Not too sweet. Lovely fresh lemon taste. Delicious summer dessert!
Amazing! So happy you loved it and glad you’re loving the recipes here 🙂
This was a home run! I made it for my (non GF) family and they loved it and couldn’t tell that it was gluten free. We ended up liking it better without the frosting but either way it’s delicious and a perfect way to use in-season produce. Thank you Monique!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
Amazing recipe-very flavorful and moist! I used maple syrup because I didn’t have honey and it turned out great.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
The cake was very dense, which could have been my bad. The frosting is yummy. I had to add a little more than one cup of powdered sugar because just one cup tasted like lemony butter, other than that, it was pretty good. It didn’t turn out like cake, I would have renamed it lemon zuchini bread with lemon frosting, or something along the lines of that. But, all in all it was not bad. It is a nice treat and I would make it again!
Because it’s gluten free it will be more moist than traditional cakes. I hope you liked the frosting better with a bit more powered sugar!
I used vanilla extract because i didn’t have almond extract. It turned out wonderful! I also put in less honey than the recipe called for and the texture was still super moist! It’s just a little less sweet but I preferred that since there is frosting. 🙂
Perfect! I’m glad that worked out welL 🙂
A perfect cake! I needed to sub frozen blues and it still turned out delicious! Thank you.
Perfect! Glad that worked out well 🙂
Hey so is there a substitute for oat flour? Could I use regular gluten free all purpose flour?
Hi! I have a not on this within the blog post. You could try a regular 1:1 gluten free flour but just note that I haven’t tested it myself 🙂
Delicious! Cake came out perfectly – not too sweet, tons of flavor and great texture. Will be a new staple when I’m craving something non-chocolate.
Such a great, summer dessert! Glad you loved it 🙂
Just made this – my parents & I loved it!!! Tastes like summer. Easy to make, too. Only problem is waiting until the cake is cool to frost it 😉
Amazing! Glad everyone loved it 🙂
This cake is SO GOOD. Since going gluten free a couple of years ago, one of my favorite things to do is trick my dad into eating GF food and realizing it’s still delicious! I made this for a family gathering two weekends ago. He was suspicious of me putting blueberries into a cake… he is very traditional and always just wants chocolate cake. Later in the night, he said, “I discovered something… your cake is actually quite good.” Love to hear that but sort of hate to share 😀 It was a huge hit and I know I will make it again! I didn’t even make the frosting.. I found it was really good plain.
Also – my mom didn’t have honey so I used maple syrup and it still came out great! I will definitely try with honey next time to compare flavors.
Amazing! So happy it was a hit with everyone 🙂 and I’m glad the maple syrup worked out well!
So delicious! I actually made this recipe into muffins and they turned out great (baked for only 20mins). I also used less honey (1/4 cup) and they are definitely still sweet enough. Thanks for another great recipe!
Oh my gosh, great idea. I would want them in muffins for sure! I’m going to try this!
Perfect! Love that idea!
This cake is amazing! So delicious, lemony and moist – a perfect combination of flavours! And you can’t taste zucchini at all! I also made it without frosting because I didn’t think it was necessary. Thank you so much for this recipe, Monique 🙂
Perfect! So happy you loved it!
This cake is perfect! So flavorful and the texture is amazing!
So glad you loved it!
Everyone needs to make this cake, STAT! Shredding the zucchini is a pain in the booty but sure is worth it. The cake is fluffy, moist and so pretty. The only thing I would change next time is leave off the frosting – it was a bit too sweet for me.
So glad you loved it! And yes, still delicious without the frosting or you can try a simple glaze like the one in this recipe 🙂
Has anyone had success substituting for eggs with flax eggs?
This is so delicious! My whole family loved it, and my husband almost didn’t try it because he doesn’t usually like lemons. But one bike of my piece and he was converted and went and got his own. Thanks for another great recipe! Also I used dried zest because I didn’t have fresh and it worked great!
So happy to hear that! Such a great dessert 🙂
I tried out cake with the above recipe. The cake was very soft and tasty. Thank you.
Perfect! Glad you liked it!
Made recipe exactly as written but did not use the frosting so the toddlers could have some too. Lovely burst of lemon flavor and very moist(I know, not a great word). 😆 Adding this recipe to my recipe binder where all of my favorites live. 👏🏼
Perfect! So happy to hear that 🙂
Can I use frozen blueberries instead of fresh ones?
Yes, just let them thaw a bit then coat in 2 tablespoons of oat flour!
I made this for my 1 yo birthday party. I should have realized lemon isn’t really kid friendly. I made my own almond flour out of sliced almonds and Ithink that made it denser? I’m not sure. Could you make your own flour using slivered almonds? I like it just wish it wasn’t so dense?
Store bought almond flour is super finely ground blanched almonds, so the skins are removed. The slivered almonds likely still had the skin on and depending on how fine you ground them they may have made a much more dense flour. I’d suggest giving it a try with a fine, blanched version!
This cake is incredible. So yummy cold out of the fridge. Such a crowd pleaser. Will make again and again.
Absolutely! Glad it’s a hit 🙂
By far one of my favorite AK’s recipes. Monique killed it with this one! So delicious and moist!
So glad you love this one!
oh my gosh I made this and it was AMAZING! sooo moist and delicious I could not stop eating it every time I passed through the kitchen. Friends and fam even loved it and they didn’t know it was “healthy”!!
So glad it was a hit! Perfect treat 🙂
My daughter made this cake for her birthday and it was very good. We really enjoyed the lemon and blueberry combination. She made the vegan icing. We really enjoyed it.
So happy to hear that! Perfect birthday treat 🙂
Wow! I don’t bake much, but I do make a cake every year for New Year’s Eve. This was my cake for 2020 (last night). I was not disappointed as this is a wonderful cake. The balance of blueberries and lemon is so nice and the texture is perfect. I added extra lemon zest to both the cake and frosting because I know I am “heavy on the lemon.” I also put bits of lemon zest on top of the frosting when adding blueberries to the top—mainly because I knew it would look good. My only comment for improvement is that the blueberries need to be damp (from washing them) in order for the oat flour to stick to them. A minor change for next time. And there will be a next time. Excellent!
Amazing! And great tip with the blueberries. So glad you loved this one!
Wowzer! So Ah-mazing!! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Eating without the frosting cuz…it’s “get in shape January!!” De-LISH without frosting for sure! This is a keeper! Wondering how to get the calorie counts on your recipes though. I saw it on this recipe but not on some others. Hm? Thank you for this amazing sweetapolita!!
So glad you loved it! The nutrition is listed for all recipes except my more indulgent ones that are meant to be a special treat 🙂
Delicious cake but it did take me a lot longer than 20 minutes of prep time. I made my own oat flour in the blender and then sifted it so that could be why. Nice moist cake and not too sweet. I substituted agave for honey and that worked out well. The frosting is good but next time I’ll make the glaze from the paleo lemon blueberry bread instead
I’m glad you enjoyed! And yes, making & sifting your own oat flour will take a bit more time 🙂 Great idea to use the lemon blueberry glaze!
I veganized this using egg replacer, sugar instead of honey, and vegan butter. I ended up adding 1/2 cup of oat milk as well because of the loss of liquids from the honey and egg.
The cake was a little dense (probably because of all my substitutions) and more like a muffin, but the flavor was 100!!
Highly recommend making this. I’m sure if made with no subs it would be even better. I will definitely make again 🙂
I’m glad it still worked out! 🙂
My go-to dessert! It’s addicting 😋
Glad you enjoyed!
The cake was amazing! A must try! The consistency of my icing did not turn out unfortunately because I ran out of butter, so I ate the cake “naked”. I loved it. And I’m sure the icing took it to the next level. Thanks AK!!
Still delicious! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
This cake is everything!! Soooo satisfying! Most of the time I leave the blueberries out bc my 3 yo “doesn’t like smushy fruit” but the cake is just as incredible without!
Perfect!!
Two of my most favorite things in one dish …. what’s not to like🤷♀️ Great recipe for blueberries & lemon, turned out so well, truly tasty & delicious 😋 I never mentioned they had zucchini in, you’d never know !!
Such a great dessert!!