Inspired by a piece of cake I had near Inverness, Scotland, I searched the internet and discovered a recipe from "Confessions of a Baking Queen/Elizabeth Waterstone." I changed a few things like less sugar, use of olive oil, more Lemon zest and Lemon Syrup on the cake after it came out of the oven. I used a cream cheese based frosting instead of a drizzle with powdered sugar. It is a summer favorite now which I made for my Farm To Table dinner last month at Bear Butte Gardens in Sturgis.
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Pure cane sugar -regular sugar is fine, I just like the more natural sugar
- 4 oz. Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 Tbsp Grated lemon zest -microplane works best
- 2 oz. Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups Shredded zucchini -pack tightly into cup
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Preheat Oven to 350° and butter a 9" springform pan or a regular 9" pan but line with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
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In a large bowl mix together the sugar and lemon zest. Really whisk the zest into the sugar so it all melds together. Add in the olive oil and whisk till combined. Add in the eggs and mix until fully incorporated. Add the shredded zucchini and lemon juice. Gently fold in the flour mixture, until no remains of flour are seen.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for approximately 40-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with no wet batter. Let cool for 5 minutes and poke holes all over the cake with a toothpick while still in the springform pan. Immediately pour 1/2 of the Lemon Syrup onto the warm cake.
When the cake is completely cooled, frost just the top of the cake with the Neufchatel Frosting.
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1/2 cup of cane sugar.
1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice.
Bring to a simmer till the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside and let cool. Can be made a day ahead of time.
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4 ounces of softened Neufchatel Cheese or regular Cream Cheese is also fine.
2 ounce of softened butter.
1 cup of sifted powdered sugar.
Mix all the ingredients together well. Spread on top of the cake. Garnish with 2 Tablespoons of chopped pistachio's. Make sure the cake is cooled before frosting. You can use the rest of the Lemon Syrup to drizzle a little bit over each piece of cake for service.