🥒 Ingredients
For the cake
- 1½ cups grated zucchini, lightly squeezed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup vanilla or unflavored protein powder
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
High-protein lemon glaze
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup vanilla protein powder
- 1–2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey or powdered sweetener
- 1 tsp lemon zest
👩🍳 Instructions
- Prepare the zucchini: Grate the zucchini and gently squeeze out excess water. Don’t completely dry it—the remaining moisture helps keep the cake tender.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Greek yogurt, milk, honey, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Combine dry ingredients: In another bowl, mix flour, protein powder, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Make the batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in the grated zucchini. Avoid overmixing.
- Bake: Pour into a greased 8-inch round cake pan or small loaf pan. Bake at 175°C / 350°F for 35–45 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Cool completely: Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack and cool fully before glazing.
- Make the glaze: Whisk Greek yogurt, protein powder, lemon juice, honey/sweetener, and lemon zest until smooth. Add a teaspoon of milk if needed for a drizzleable consistency.
- Finish: Spread or drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake. Top with thin strips of lemon zest and a little finely shredded zucchini for the look shown in the photo.
💪 Approximate Nutrition
For 8 slices, depending on the protein powder and yogurt used:
- Calories: ~230–260 per slice
- Protein: ~14–17 g
- Carbohydrates: ~25–30 g
- Fat: ~7–9 g
Protein boost: For an even higher-protein version, use a Greek yogurt containing around 10 g protein per 100 g and a whey/casein blend protein powder.
