Today I am sharing a lemon cake recipe made with zucchini, quinoa, and lemon essential oil. This recipe can be adjusted to those who eat gluten and dairy free. You can substitute whatever sweetener you feel comfortable with, and the flavor will be delicious, the texture will be moist and the frosting will be tasty!
What I love about this recipe is that you get the hint of sweetness we all long for, yet not all of the bad stuff. This is infused with lemon essential oil that has many health benefits including, detoxing your body (especially your liver and kidneys), reducing inflammation, boosting your energy and strengthening your immune system. It also has quinoa and zucchini on the ingredient’s list so you get a good fill of omegas and many other vitamins and minerals your body needs. Baking with essential oils might be a new thing for you, but don’t be intimidated. Just start out with a few drops and taste the batter, and add as you go to get the desired flavor you want.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour or gluten free flour
- 1/4 cup raw sugar (or preferred sweetener)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 7 drops of Lemon essential oil
- 1/4 cup almond milk (or preferred milk)
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Greek Yogurt Frosting:
- 1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt
- 2 Tbsp preferred sweetener (agave nectar, honey, brown rice syrup, maple syrup etc)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. lemon peel (as garnish)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees
- Cook quinoa as instructed on the packaging.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using your stand mixer (or hand held), beat together eggs and milk. Then add in the quinoa, zucchini, lemon essential oil, applesauce and vanilla and stir until well-mixed.
- Add zucchini mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined (careful not to over stir).
- In a cake tin coated with cooking spray, or parchment paper fill the tin and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for about 30 minutes before frosting.
- To make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, sweetener and vanilla until smooth. Spread evenly among muffins and garnish with lemon peel, if desired. Enjoy!
RECIPE & IMAGE CREDIT: http://foodnouveau.com/recipes/desserts/cakes-pies/lemon-zucchini-cake/