Lemon Zucchini Tea Bread

One of the things I love about social media is the sharing of recipes and foodie websites. My cousins and I pass our share of yummy food porn photos back and forth. Jenny and Gretchen love their baked goods and last week a photo of a lemon zucchini bread was smeared ALL over our FB walls. It was more than I could take, so I have grabbed the recipe they shared with gusto, whizzed up some of the copious zucchini that is coming from our backyard plot, and put together the bread for today's tea time treat.

Who can go wrong with a sweetly glazed loaf of yellow tea bread that has lovely green speckles and a perfect lemony zing ? I mean really ... how sublime. This is not your typical heavier spiced, raisin and nut laden version of years past. This quick bread has a dense crumb like a pound cake and so much bright lemon tang  that it's wonderfully summer-like. Mmmm ...

Grab this recipe and go after the zucchini that's accumulating on your counter top! My plan is to make more loaves and leave off the glaze. I'll freeze the cooled loaves and glaze them as I take them from the freezer come wintertime. I'm thinking that February, with its cold and bluster, will be a lot more enjoyable when SB and I share those loaves over pots of tea!

lil ' luna's glazed lemon zucchini bread

Oven: 350 degrees F 

Bake Time 45 to 50 minutes

Pan Size: 1- 5 x 9 inch loaf pan, greased and lined with parchment paper

Whisk together and set aside:

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

2 tsp. baking powder

In another bowl, whip until creamy and light yellow:

1 1/3 c. sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 c. canola oil

Add and mix vigorously:

1/2 c. buttermilk

2 tbsp. lemon juice

zest of one lemon

Fold in:

1 c. grated zucchini - squeezed out and packed down a bit

Mix the dry ingredients in until the batter is smooth and well blended.

Turn into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester comes clean ...

Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool further.

Drizzle with glaze while it's still warm. Let the loaf cool and the glaze set up before you slice the tea loaf.

Glaze Ingredients:

1 c. confectioner's sugar

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. milk

Whisk with a fork until smooth and shiny. Use it right away or it will form a crust ...

Note: Many thanks to Jennifer and Gretchen and Kristyn, the owner and creative force behind lil'luna ... all things good , her food and lifestyle blog. Go visit that blog and get inspired!