It seems like we have zucchini coming out of the woodwork these days! Everyone has it growing like mad in their gardens and no one can use it up fast enough. I happen to adore zucchini, but even I’ve been feeling a bit challenged trying to find some different and interesting ways to use it. And then, I found the recipe for this cake – Zucchini Olive Oil Cake with Crunchy Lemon Glaze. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to make it.

This is not your typical, dense, leaden loaf of zucchini bread, people. No, no, no! It is cake. Real, honest-to-goodness cake, with a moist, light and delicate crumb drenched in a lovely sweet-tart lemon glaze. And, it is heavenly!

It all starts with the usual cast of cake ingredients, like flour, sugar and eggs. There are also a few special guest stars, like coarsely grated, fresh from the garden zucchini…

And, some fragrant, fruity extra-virgin olive oil. Yes, olive oil. In cake!

Let’s not forget the crunchy, yummy toasted pecans. How could anything not be wonderful with toasted pecans?

I’ll admit it doesn’t look like much before being baked, but just wait until it comes out of the oven…

And it gets a nice slathering of that delightful lemon glaze.

WOWZA!

Seriously folks, this was one of the tastiest cakes I’ve ever baked – and there was no chocolate ganache or Swiss buttercream in sight. Even Mr. “I Don’t Eat Sweets” SGCC indulged in two slices – and that’s saying something!

I have to say, I was a little leery about using extra virgin olive oil in a cake. I was afraid that flavor would be too assertive, but it wasn’t. In fact, if I hadn’t known it was in there, I wouldn’t have ever guessed. On its own, the cake has a slightly earthy, mellow quality to it, and is not overly sweet. The lemony glaze, however, is what really gives this cake its va va voom. A mixture of granulated and confectioner’s sugars is what supposedly gives the glaze its crunch. Although I thought the glaze was really delicious, I have to say I didn’t find it to be particularly “crunchy”. But, I didn’t care. It is a luscious glaze adorning a fabulous cake. Who could ask for more?