Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread ~ everybody’s favorite quick bread gets an upgrade with crunchy poppy seeds and fresh lemon. It’s the perfect light and breezy summertime bake!
Lemon poppy seed zucchini bread is a delicious change of pace
A classic zucchini bread is always right, but I adore this lemon poppy seed version for when you’ve STILL got zucchini coming out of the garden, or your neighbor’s gardens, or the CSA, and you need to shake things up a bit. This moist quick bread is easy to make and combines the bright flavor of lemon with crunchy poppy seeds and plenty of zucchini. It feels so fresh and summery.
One-bowl baking ~
One bowl baking is the best, isn’t it? Less to clean up, of course, and it just makes the whole thing feels so much more doable. A surprising number of basic baking recipes can be easily converted to the one-bowl method:
- Often the only reason you need the extra bowl is to sift dry ingredients together. The solution is to add your leaveners (baking powder and/or soda and salt) to your wet ingredients before folding in flour. Adding the leaveners first allows them to get evenly distributed into the batter without having to sift them with the flour first.
- Recipes that aren’t good candidates for one bowl baking include any recipes where eggs are separated and the whites whipped on their own,
How to make a lemony quick bread glaze ~
A lemon glaze is one of my favorite secret weapons when it comes to loaf cakes and quick breads. Just a simple mix of lemon juice and powdered sugar makes an intense sweet/tart topping that also helps seal in moisture.
- For a glaze that’s thick enough to be noticed but still coats the top of your loaf cake nice and evenly, I use 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, and about 2 tablespoons of liquid. If you want a lighter, translucent glaze, add a little bit more liquid.
- Sifting your sugar first helps avoid lumps, but if you do get them, let the glaze settle for a few minutes and whisk again, most lumps will dissolve on their own.
- When I’m not sure about how the consistency of my glaze is going to look on the finished cake, I’ll do a little test on the edge of the cake. You should be able to wipe off the glaze quickly and adjust to make it a little thicker or a little thinner if needed.
- You can add a little vanilla extract to your glaze, or scatter some more poppy seeds on top of the wet glaze for a nice pop of contrast and extra crunch.
The texture of this bread (or is it cake?) is just perfect in my book.
It’s moist but light and fluffy ~ not oily like some loaf cakes can be, and perfectly sweetened without being too over the top for breakfast or an afternoon snack. The cake has that lovely mellow lemon flavor from plenty of zest added to the batter, and the glaze provides the perfect sweet-tart contrast.
For the prettiest presentation with loaf cakes, I always line my pan with a long sheet of parchment paper.
Grease the pan first, so the paper will stick and not slide around. You can lift the bread out after baking to let it cool completely. You’ll be able to glaze and slice it so much easier, and this is especially nice if you want a pretty presentation.
Remember, don’t peel or squeeze your zucchini for perfect zucchini bread!
You definitely don’t want to peel your zucchini, the peel is where all the flavor, color, and texture is. I love to see those little green flecks in my bread, yum! And there’s no need to drain or squeeze the zucchini, either. I formulate the recipe to take zucchini’s natural moisture into account, and it helps make this bread deliciously moist and tender.
Lemon poppy seed everything!
- Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
- Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Poppy Seed Buttercream
- Lemon Tart with Poppy Seed Shortbread Crust
Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 9×5 loaf pan
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp lemon zest, (zest from 1 large lemon)
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice, (1 large lemon)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups lightly packed shredded zucchini
- 3 Tbsp poppy seeds
For the glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice , or a mixture of lemon juice and milk (or cream) to thin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan. I also line mine with parchment paper for easy removal after baking.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar until well combined.
- Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Fold in the flour, and mix just until everything is well incorporated and there are no dry pockets of flour left.
- Gently fold in the shredded zucchini and poppy seeds.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan, and smooth it out a little bit so that it fills the pan evenly. Bake for about 60-65 minutes until risen, turning golden on top, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing and allowing to cool fully on a baking rack.
- Once the bread is cool, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar with the lemon juice until pourable, but still relatively thick. You can use all lemon juice for a nice tart glaze, or a mixture of lemon juice and milk or cream to your taste for a slightly less tart glaze.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and use the back of a spoon or a butter knife to gently spread it over the top of the cake. Allow the glaze to harden before slicing.
Video
Nutrition
I did mine in a bundt pan instead of a loaf and used yellow zuchinni. My glaze was not nearly as beautiful as yours, a touch too liquidy but this is an amazing recipe that impressed everyone at work…even the non zuchinni lovers. Thank you!
My next attempt will be to use my donut pan to make glazed donuts for individual servings and other desserts presentations.
This is my new favorite zucchini bread! Delicious
WOW!!! I just made this and it’s EXCELLENT! To the batter, I added the zest of an additional lemon (the one I juiced for the glaze) and 1 teaspoon of almond extract. This recipe is a keeper, for sure!
superb!
question… does it freeze with glaze on top?
This was delicious! I left off the frosting.
This is a great recipe! I want to make with frozen zucchini this time. Any modifications you recommend? I froze in 2 C measured portions but it definitely has more water weight now when thawed.
I haven’t worked with frozen zucchini much, but I wonder if you could use it from frozen instead of thawing.
I read up on this. I’ve also baked with my frozen zucchini. Apparently it does gain more water in the freezing process but you can use just thaw and drain off most of it. You don’t have to squeeze or pat dry. Just drain and use, and mine was very successful. Thanks for this recipe, it was delicious!
This is a great recipe! I made it with yellow squash since we had an abundance of them in the garden and it turned out amazing! Thank you!
Nice to know it works with yellow squash, thanks!
All I have to say is FANTASTIC!!! I didn’t change a thing. Except that we could wait to glaze it either. I nearly ate a half loaf myself. I’ll be making my mom one tomorrow. She luvs poppyseed.
Tried it and it was great! Made a double batch so my neighbors could enjoy some as well. Only thing I’d change for next time is add a little more lemon, and a little more sugar. It’s a nice light flavor but I just prefer a more noticeable sweetness!
Hi Sue, Just wanted to let you know I made your Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Cake following the recipe (the only modification I made was to reduce the poppy seeds to 1-1/2 Tablespoons. I ended up not making the glaze since my son cut into it as soon as it got close to room temperature and declared it fabulous as is (LOL). He was of course correct. It is fabulous without the glaze. Apparently if I want to try it with the glazed, I will have to get up early enough or find a day when he will be gone long enough that I can make it again and glaze it before he gets back home (LOL)! Thanks so much for sharing your divine creations!!! Jan
You’re welcome Janyne ~ I hope you get to try it with the glaze sometime 🙂