Lemon Zucchini Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

All the flavors of summer in one cake!

The zucchini keeps it moist and the lemon kicks up the taste.

Hey, summer!

How are ya?

Everything that screams summer is going on in this house. If I've had a minute to sit down to reflect on it I've already forgotten about it. We've been going from here to there and then back to there from here daily.

You know what I'm excited about? The week ahead there is NOTHING on my plate. I mean other than taking the oldest to football camp two nights this week and a possible play date with friends, there is nothing. Praise the Lord.

Oh, and apparently this almost 36 year old mom get Swimmer's Ear. Hear that? Swimmer's ear. It was me along with all the other nine year olds in town in the waiting room at the clinic this past week. I swim ONE DAY almost two weeks ago with the kids while in Kansas visiting family and those darn ears didn't listen to me to drain themselves.

It has broughten me back to my childhood when I lived one block for the city pool and consistently lived with green chlorinated hair and every other week ear infections.

It's so fun to be me.

Besides clinic trips and running from here to there, surprise! I have been doing some cooking. I've been making easy summer meals. Ones that don't heat up the kichen.

Last week we feasted on BLT's one night, fresh egg salad sandwiches the next, homemade pizza done on the grill the following night and leftovers the next when I had basically called it a week.

Maybe a glass of wine was involved too?

Let me tell ya. Kids are tiring. By Friday I usually throw in the towel and walk out of the kitchen. Luckily last Friday night we went with some friends to the local fair and feasted on grilled tenderloin sandwiches {so good...a total Midwestern thing}, drank some cocktails and came home to the kids fast asleep with a babysitter.

Perfect night.

The following day I baked this cake.

Bright and early in the morning before the heat set in. Although I don't have a ton of lemon dessert lovers in my house, I still wanted to try out the lemon/zucchini combo.

All the flavors of summer, right?

I gave a couple slices to a friend and we've been snacking on this pan ever since. The cake, just like any cake loaded with shredded zucchini, is moist and soft. I added a healthy dose of lemon juice and it's zest, so that really made the flavor pop.

I remember at my wedding, we gave a cake balls as favors on everyone's plates {another Midwestern thing, I believe} and one of the flavors my mom insisted on including was lemon.

Ehhh.....I was neither here nor there on it.

Lemon was never really my favorite. In fact I called it the "old lady flavor". To me it just seemed that women over the age of ____ {fill in the blank} ate it in baked goods while drinking their morning coffee.

Come to think of it that was probably my mom exactly.

Long story short, I let her include the lemon flavor. I mean, she was the one making them....so I caved. And now, here I must be that "old lady" because lemon is starting to come around to me. Full circle, peeps.

And how about that zucchini? I've been doing all this lemon talk. I'm sorry. Our gardens are loaded with zucchini right now!

Fun fact? I've never planted zucchini, for two reasons really. #1 I don't have room for it. That stuff spreads. #2 I have so many people trying to get rid of it in late summer, I just take it off their hands. I've never said I don't use my friends.

And this buttercream! Don't let buttercream inimidate you. It's basically two staple ingredients and very easy to make with a mixer.

Give this cake a try! Perfect for summer gatherings, a summer birthday or an old lady brunch and/or coffee.

Yield: 18-20Author: Ally