“Good day, Sunshine! Good day, Sunshine!” Because I’m actually singing that this morning, be glad you’re not sitting next to me since my singing voice may make dogs howl, or your ears bleed. But vocal stylin’s aside, I felt like giving the proverbial finger to this cold, wet weather and making something that made me think of sunny days and warmer temps. And nothing says “sunny day” to me more than something with citrus. Lemony, tart, tangy goodness wakes up not only your mood, but your palate. So why not perk up with a citrus-y version of a classic like zucchini bread?
At a recent trip to Trader Joe’s (which can be dangerous for me), I picked up a few zucchini. I love their versatility in terms of savory dishes, replacements for things like pasta, and of course in sweet versions like bread or muffins. I was sure I’d have them all figured out by that night. Well, one thing lead to another, and suddenly a couple days had passed. Those lovelies started yelling at me every time I opened my fridge (yes, I refrigerated them to extend their shelf life–blasphemy to some, I know). I was craving something peppy and jaunty (yes, I used the word “jaunty” to describe a baked good), so off to Pinterest I went. With a few clicks, it turned out that this Citrus Zucchini Bread was just what I was looking for.
Those regular old breads (banana, bran, pumpkin, etc.) are all great standbys. But I think I like zucchini bread the most because you can do so much more to it and still highlight the zucchini. The fact that zucchini are normally in season in late summer makes it a perfect way to beckon to warmer weather with the punch of citrus added here. The zest in the batter alone wakes you up, but the glaze puts you into a haze of Summer Lovin’ (had me a blast…).
Sing your way to summer with this great combo of flavors! You’ll be the hit of the office (or breakfast table!) if you show up with this beauty.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 1 loaf of bread | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 50 minutes |
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As I've mentioned in other posts and recipes, I love just about anything with citrus. I have a hard time passing it up, and will choose citrusy and fruity over chocolatey 9 times out of 10. I know, I'm an anomaly, but there it is. Have lemon, will bake, zest, juice and EAT.
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- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp. lemon zest (from 2 medium lemons)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini; packed & undrained)
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray an 8x4 loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest, mixing with your fingertips until fragrant.
- Add the egg, vegetable oil and vanilla and whisk to combine the ingredients.
- Stir in zucchini.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. If you don't have a sifter, simply make sure you incorporate all of the dry ingredients so that they distribute evenly through the batter.
- Stir the dry mixture into the zucchini batter until just combined. Don't over mix, or the batter will become too stiff, resulting in "tough" bread.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove pan to wire rack and cool in pan for about 10 minutes before turning out onto the wire rack to cool completely. I refrigerated mine overnight prior to glazing.
- Once bread is cooled, prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Drizzle the glaze over the bread.
As you can see by the intro picture, I also made muffins out of this great recipe. I had enough zucchini for a double batch, so I figured I'd try muffins, too. Just bake at the same temperature, but for 25-30 minutes instead of the full 50-55.
For the recipe, thanks to My Baking Addiction for the inspiration on this one. Great pictures and clearly she got me pointed in this direction!
Because of the versatility of this and other quick breads, I would be inclined to try other citrus in here, too. Orange zest in the batter? You bet! Lime in the glaze? Yes, please!
I'd love to hear your variations on this classic! Share your ideas or thoughts here for everyone to steal, er, I mean enjoy.
I love this creative take on a classic bread. YUM!
Lemon sounds like the perfect pairing for zucchini yet I rarely see it! These flavors must be magic in a sweet bread.
The lemon really wakes up all of the other ingredients. So darned tasty! :o)
I have not made zucchini bread in forever, and I just love anything baked with lemon! adding this to my january baking for sure
Dee Dee,
I happen to have shredded zucchini in the freezer, because that’s what I do when I get overwhelmed with squash in the summertime. I shred. I shred a lot. This looks fresh and I could do with a dose of citrus.
Thanks!
That bread with the icing dripping down the sides? I DIE!!!! YUM, YUM, YUM. And the Meyer lemons are still in season here, so I will have to whip a loaf of your bread up soon. 🙂
I love zucchini bread!
Zucchini bread is amongst my favorite bread dishes. Your detailed recipe makes it look very easy to make.
Thanks for sharing.