Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread

For all the delicious zucchini baked goods, check out my recipes for Zucchini Pancakes, Chocolate Zucchini Bread , Zucchini Cake, and Zucchini Cookies.

Why This Recipe Works

So delicious – I can’t even believe there was a time in my life when I wasn’t eating zucchini in sweet treat form. This lemon zucchini bread is absolute perfection. Perfectly sweetened with the perfect texture, and the most perfect use of the lemon poppyseed flavor combination I heart so much. In a word – perfect! Cream cheese glaze – Sure this zucchini bread is amazing without the cream cheese glaze but it’s even MORE amazing with it. A little bit rich, a little tangy, sweet, melt-in-your mouth glaze that just is really truly the icing on the (zucchini) cake. Uses all the zucchini – I don’t know about you, but sometimes I go overboard at the farmers market in the summers, buying all the produce because it’s in season and just so beautiful. Then, try as I might, we just don’t end up using it all. This zucchini bread recipe is the perfect thing for using up any zucchini that is at risk of going bad. Plus, you can freeze the bread (but you don’t want to freeze that zucchini). Perfect “present” – I don’t know about you but in the summer I’m never quite sure what to bring to various cookouts and picnics, baby showers and birthday parties. Sure, I’ll bring the pasta salad, but what about a little something special just for the host? Something he or she can tuck away and not share? This zucchini bread is the best edible present around!

Here’s How You Make It

Make the bread

Prepare the glaze

Expert Tips

This recipe makes one 9×5 inch loaf, about 8-10 slices. Double for extra amounts of delicious zucchini bread. Or eat one now and freeze on for later. (Don’t ice the frozen one until you’ve thawed it.) This bread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to five days. Top this cake with fresh strawberries, peaches, blueberries, or raspberries and some homemade whipped cream for extra decadence!

Customizations

One fun way I like to change up this lemon zucchini bread is to add nuts to it. Just a ¼ cup or so of slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, or even chopped pistachios go great in this recipe. Mix them in at the end before you pop it in the oven. If you don’t want that much commitment, just sprinkle some nuts on the top of the glaze. Make a Bundt cake! Pour the batter into a prepared Bundt pan instead of a loaf pan. Bake at 325 for about 45 minutes. (Depending on the size of your Bundt pan, you might want to double the recipe.) Skip the poppyseeds if you don’t like them. Instead substitute nuts, or even dried fruit, or just enjoy the lemon zucchini bread without anything extra. For a little more citrus taste, consider adding in some orange zest or a teaspoon of orange extract. Make muffins by pouring the batter into prepared muffin tins or muffin liners. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.