This delicious healthy lemon zucchini loaf cake recipe is sponsored by Natvia, makers of a stevia-based, non-GMO granulated sweetener – such a handy ingredient to have in your sugar free kitchen! I’ve been using Natvia for quite a while now. The granulated texture makes it quite easy to substitute in to baking instead of sugar.
Do you have a list of recipes that you’ve always meant to make tucked away somewhere? Lemon “pound cake” has been something that’s been on my to-do list for many years now. But to be honest, I’m not actually quite sure what a pound cake is; I must have stumbled upon the name some time ago and it’s really stuck with me. Possibly because the use of the word “pound” makes me feel like I’m going to get a really chunky, filling piece of cake, rather than a teeny tiny sliver of nothing … and that’s never a bad thing! I don’t like being shortchanged when it comes to cake.
This lemon zucchini loaf cake has satisfied my craving for a dense, delicious homemade cake infused with lots of lemony flavour. Baked into a loaf shape, it’s just so easy to slice and keep tucked away in the fridge or freezer for when you’re ready to sit down with a cup of tea and something delicious. Is it a pound cake? Well, considering this recipe has got a whole zucchini in it I’m pretty sure I’ve mucked up any classic pound cake recipe well and truly… so let’s just call it a loaf cake, shall we!
I have finished this cake with a very simple coconut oil-based lemon glaze, but this is really an optional step. By baking lots of fresh lemon juice and lemon zest right in to the loaf, the cake has a beautiful bright lemon flavour without the need to top it with anything else. It’s great on it’s own as a sweet, healthier snack option, or if you’re feeling a little bit more fancy, serve this up my favourite way: with smashed berries and a spoonful or two of thick coconut yoghurt.
You’ll also notice an optional little ingredient in my recipe to help give your cake a bold colour in the most natural way. Yep, adding just a tiny amount of ground turmeric will guarantee you the most incredibly bright lemon zucchini loaf cake. You won’t be able to taste it, and turmeric is such a wonderful spice, why not? Though turmeric is being researched for a number of therapeutic properties, I must say in this cake it’s not a significant enough amount to alter the nutritional content of the recipe … but it sure makes it look amazing!
Almond Flour Lemon Zucchini Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup almond flour (175 grams)
- 1/3 cup coconut flour (42 grams)
- 1/4 cup granulated stevia (I used Nativa)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp bicarb soda
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2-3 lemons
- 1 med-large zucchini (160 grams)
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1-2 tsp honey (or liquid sweetener of choice)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (reserved from cake ingredients)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160 C (fan forced) and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
- Zest the lemons and finely chop the zest. Then, juice the lemons until you have just over 1/3 cup of juice. Set both aside. Grate the zucchini and set aside also.
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, Natvia, baking powder, bicarb soda, salt and turmeric, ensuring there are no lumps. Add in a tablespoon of chopped lemon zest.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut oil and vanilla extract.
- Combine the egg mixture with the dry ingredients. As you're mixing them together, fold in the grated zucchini and almost all of the lemon juice, reserving just a tablespoon or so to make the glaze. (If you're not making the glaze you can just add it all in). You should end up with a thick batter that is of a wet, kind of mousse consistency
- Scoop the batter into the lined loaf tin, and use the back of a spoon or your fingertips to press the batter evenly into the tin and smooth the top.
- Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the edges of the loaf are turning a dark golden brown and the centre feels firm to touch. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
- To make the glaze, melt the coconut oil and whisk together with the honey and lemon juice. Use a pastry brush to spread the glaze over the top of the cake (if you don't have a pastry brush, simple drizzle it over with a spoon and then use the back of the spoon to spread it around a little, working quickly, before it sinks in too much). Sprinkle over a little of the leftover chopped lemon zest for decoration.
Notes
Love this recipe! It turned out very moist and flavorful. You cant taste the turmeric in it but it adds a pop of color to make pretty and appetizing.
Thank you so much for this lovely feedback Becky! I love the turmeric in it too, so pretty 🙂
Hi there,
Just loved the recipe so did my sons , who grew a heap of zucchinis which I had to do something with.
Used all your ingredients but the Lemon swapped it for orange mainly because I didn’t have enough
Lemons. Thanks for this great healthy food idea.
Hi Tanya, thank you so much for taking the time to leave this feedback, I really appreciate it 🙂 Great to know that orange works well in this cake too!
I would like to use regular cane sugar instead of the stevia. Would 1/2 cup be an equivalent in sweetness?
Hi Joyce, thank you for your message. Yes, I think that 1/2 cup sugar should be a good swap 🙂
Love your cake! I was not disappointed! Everyone in the family wanted seconds. I had to set aside a piece to have with my favorite tea tomorrow. I will have this for breakfast because it truly is a healthy treat packed with protein. FYI, I used about 1/8 cup Stevia organic powder and 1/4 cup coconut sugar.
Hi Marie, thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment, I really appreciate it. So happy to hear this was a hit with the family! Thanks also for the tip about how much coconut sugar to use 🙂
would like to try this but I need to know the carb and sugar count please
I need to know the carb count and sugar count on the Keto Plan Please
Hi Joyce, I am sorry but I do not calculate this data for my recipes. If you would like to know you will need to input the recipe data into an analyser like Happy Forks. 🙂
This sounds amazing…. I am on low carb an a lot of the Keto recipes work for the low carb. How many carbs does this have per slice?
Hi Jessie, I’m sorry but I do not calculate this data for my recipes. You can input the recipe into an analyser like Happy Forks if you want to find this out. 🙂
I tried this recipe last night and it tastes amazing for a “healthy” treat. I added poppy seeds to mine and used 1/4 cup coconut sugar instead of the granulated stevia and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Thank you so much for your feedback, Marina! The poppy seeds would be a nice touch and love the idea of coconut sugar. I really like the flavour of coconut sugar, I will have to try it that way myself 🙂
Hi what is 160 c in Fahrenheit and are you saying it’s best for convection oven that has a fan ?
Hi Jeanne! 160 is 320 Fahrenheit. I added “fan forced” because the oven that I made this loaf in is a convection oven that has a fan, yes. If your oven does not have a fan you may wish to bump the temperature up slightly or adjust the cooking time to be a little longer. But I would just recommend to check on your loaf while it is baking no matter what!
Hi there! I have an abundance of Zucchini from the garden and I’m trying your recipie- muffin style! Can’t wait to try them…. easy peasy… thanks for the great method description- mouse consistency.👍☺
Hi Rohana! Thank you for your lovely message, haha and I’m glad you liked my description! It can be hard to explain sometimes and as this recipe uses coconut flour I wanted to try to be as descriptive as possible, as coconut flour is quite unusual to work with. Hope the recipe turns out well for you 🙂
Possible to do récipé by replacing eggs?
Hi Tania, I haven’t tried this recipe with an egg replacement, sorry. As there is coconut flour in there which can make things quite crumbly, it might be difficult to hold this together using just say, flax eggs or chia eggs. You could perhaps try a combination of a few flax eggs and a mashed banana or applesauce to help keep the loaf nice and dense. If you do try it, let me know! 🙂
Could I use Xylitol instead of Stevia? I am on the Banting lifestyle so don’t normally bake cakes, but this sounds great!
Hi Avril! Yes, absolutely you can use Xylitol instead of stevia in this recipe 🙂 I’m so glad you like the sound of this!
Sounds like a cross between lemon cake and zucchini bread. Yum! Thank you for sharing it with us at Allergy Free Thursdays!
Haha that’s exactly what it is, actually… though I never really thought about it like that! Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words Raia x
Wow, this cake looks and sounds incredible! I’m impressed with how much goodness you’ve managed to pack into it too – it’s the perfect recipe for indulging with a sweet treat but without the guilt!
It looks like the perfect thing to have as a treat this summer, so I’ll have to give it a try, especially once the zucchinis in our garden start coming up.
Have a great rest of the week!
Hello Ana! Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such a detailed, lovely comment! I always love to try and pack in as much fruit and vegetable into my cakes as possible 🙂 Yes, this would be perfect summer cake I agree. And making it with a homegrown zucchini would make it even better! Monique x
Oooh this looks so good! I’m just wondering about the 1/4 cup of stevia – that seems like a lot. I always use a very small amount because the sweetness of stevia goes a long way. Is the brand you use less sweet/strong than most organic stevias? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hello Kim! If you are using pure stevia, yes I agree 1/4 is quite a bit! Natvia is stevia blended with erythritol, which makes it more substitutable for sugar in baking as it is much less sweet than pure stevia. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol derived from plants (and non-GMO in Natvia). Out of all of the sugar alcohols tests indicate this is much better tolerated digestively than others, so I am comfortable using it in moderation in treats like this loaf.
If you wanted to use pure stevia extract, you’ll probably only need a much smaller amount, depending on the brand you use! Hope this helps – let me know how you go if you try the recipe out with pure stevia! Best wishes, Monique x