This week I found myself with a couple gifts from friends of family. A giant zucchini from someone’s garden, and a bag of almonds. My first thought was to make zucchini bread. My favorite zucchini cake recipe is a Christmas classic in our house because my mom’s friend used to gift it to us every year. She shared the recipe with us a few years ago before she passed away. Over the years I’ve started adding candied nuts to her recipe, which works so well. So, I decided to make a lemon zucchini bundt cake this week with candied almonds and a lemon glaze. It’s one of my favorite flavor combinations and was the best way I could think to use my abundance of zucchini and almonds.

Zucchini Bread + Videography

I love zucchini cake, probably as much as I love banana bread. Our recipe from my mom’s friend Pat actually uses pureed zucchini. Most recipes use grated, and shun the idea of adding any liquid. Her batter is simple, with minimal butter, sugar, and a full cup of green pureed zucchini. It’s is a little thin, but it bakes into something magical. Initially I wanted to do the same for this recipe, but because I had a nearly 5 pound zucchini and a large bundt cake pan, I decided to divert and create my own (bigger) recipe. I wanted my cake to be more of a classic bundt cake with grated zucchini in the batter, leaving room to let the candied almonds shine.

I also decided to step my “influencer” game up this week and make a recipe video. Which I’ve told myself I should do for a while now. It seems to be the best way to grow your audience. But honestly, in all the social media hype and everyone’s next door neighbor being a TikTok influencer, I’m pretty hesitant to jump on the bandwagon. I care about showing my recipes and art to as many people as possible, but it also completely exhausts me to sell myself. Nevertheless, I decided to try. I started by fumbling around my kitchen, arranging a camera setup until I was satisfied. Waving my hands in front of the viewfinder and dancing back and forth between mock cooking and checking lighting, positioning, and focus.

Multitasking + Burnt Almonds

I rearranged the entire dining room in the blink of an eye. Then, I decided to get out the ingredients for my lemon zucchini bundt cake recipe. I had a handwritten recipe in my notebook that I’d prepared, and I went through the list, grabbing flour and sugar. Baking soda. Oil. Spices. The weather was slightly overcast, which made for good lighting. But I already felt a bit dejected.

The love I have for cooking goes back to baking with my mom as a kid. Getting lost in the rhythm of a hand mixer whirling. An old fashioned crank sifter. Cracking eggs haphazardly on the counter. We never set up a bowl in front of a camera and whisked upside down while trying not to breathe for clean audio. I admire and applaud anyone who makes food videos – it’s hard work. And some videos are beautiful and informative. But I don’t think it’s for me.

I’m old school, I guess. I grated zucchini at different angles. Whisked with both hands. Stopped and started so many videos, leaning over the counter and splashing flour onto my black shirt. I wore my gym shoes with good support, but after nearly 3 hours in the kitchen my back was screaming. There wasn’t even a cake batter to show for it yet. I was sweating, dehydrated, and anxious. The fact that I was baking was lost on me, because it was more like a choreographed dance. At one point I almost gave up. But I persevered, with my genetic stubbornness and determination. I candied almonds twice because I burnt the first batch, I finished my zucchini cake batter, and greased and floured my bundt pan. The oven had finished preheating hours earlier.

Baking My Lemon Zucchini Bundt Cake

I blended my candied almonds and a piece of the top of the blender broke off, flying across the kitchen. The almonds were not cooperating and got stuck in the blade. I hadn’t eaten much lunch, and it was getting closer to dinner time. My afternoon walk was a no-go, as I hadn’t even put the cake in the oven. I spatula’d my batter into the bundt pan and then sprinkled heaping spoonfuls of candied almond dust on top. I swirled it into the batter with a chopstick. And then the cake was in the oven. Finally.

But my video was not over. I couldn’t wait to sit down and drink water and relax, but as I turned my head back towards the dining room, I saw a mountain of dirty bowls. Utensils. A blender filled with remnants of candied almonds. A caramel-stuck stock pot. Batter-coated metal beaters. A powdery flour sifter. I stood on my feet for nearly another half hour cleaning up my tornado of a video shoot. All while also taking photos for this very blog.

I managed to sit down for a few minutes and breathe before the timer went off. The dishes were (mostly) clean and the counter was clear. My camera was ready to film the final segment of the video. Which I couldn’t believe would become something insignificant passing through people’s phones that would last less than 15 seconds. What a gargantuan amount of work for something so small. Most people would never see my lemon zucchini bundt cake, let alone make it or taste it.

Farm Zucchini + Glazed Cake

The timer beeped and I marveled at the perfectly springy cake. It was a relief. And when I flipped the lemon zucchini bundt cake over onto a barely-too-small plate, it fell out beautifully. Thanks to greasing the pan way too thoroughly. I was so impatient after spending half the day “baking” that I threw together my lemon icing as fast as I could and slathered it all over the warm cake. Which is a big no-no. It melted a little, and I didn’t care. My solution was to hypnotically stand in place and spoon the icing back onto the cake as it slid off. Glazed eyes and a glazed lemon zucchini bundt cake.

I sliced a piece on camera and nearly threw my tripod in the closet after finishing for the day. Exhaustion had taken its toll. I pushed through and took many photos of the cake and then left the giant, dense beast on the counter to cool. I sat on the couch with a fork and a small plate of lemon zucchini bundt cake and tasted it. It was delightfully pillowy and tender. I could taste the unique tang of the homegrown zucchini, and the spice in the flour mixture. The bottom of the cake carried most of the candied almonds (I think I would just fold it throughout the batter next time) and it added a wonderful nutty caramel taste. It paired well with the tangy, acidic lemon and powdered sugar glaze. The exterior reminded me of a glazed donut, and the inside was a winner of a zucchini cake.

Learning to Take My Time

Now I have over 50 short clips to sort through to post a 15 second video on Instagram. All because it felt like it was something I should do. I should hop on the trend and sacrifice my love of baking for the attention, growth, money, and success that consistently posting amazing food videos could bring. But, what I’ve realized, which is a recurring theme in my life, is that good things come to those who wait.

Quick fixes for success are rarely easy or long-lasting. I didn’t enjoy doing it, so I won’t do it again. It made me forget that I was doing something I loved the whole time. I was almost shocked that I could eat my cake at the end, as if I was a sculptor breaking my back in the studio all day for something purely aesthetic. When I tasted it, I remembered how much I love baking banana bread. Zucchini bread. Taking my time. Having my mom’s help, while listening to music, or the evening news.

We’ll see if I dabble with video again in the future, but for now I’m going to double down on doing what I love. I want to bring the joy and passion back to the blogging process next week. I remember how much I love photography. How much I love getting lost in a sauce or a pasta dough while listening to music. Or even waiting for water to boil.

Cake Scraps

All while being present and focused and not worrying about how it looks. The lighting. How much longer I have on my camera battery. I’m challenging myself this week to make something purely for fun, without blogging it or photographing it. To remind myself of that magic of being a little kid recklessly creating things. I want it to be something purely for me, something that I want to eat. Not something I think will be a hit on Instagram. It’ll probably be something with chocolate. Or pasta.

Thank you as always for reading. If you enjoy my recipes and paintings, be sure to check out my Etsy for 100+ art prints and recipe cards. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off.

Print Pin

Lemon Zucchini Bundt Cake with Candied Almonds

A good way to use a ton of summer zucchini. With candied almonds and lemon.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate cake, fried zucchini, zucchini bread, zucchini cake

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 4 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups AP flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp tarragon
• 3 cups almonds + 1/2 cup white sugar
• Pinch of salt and cinnamon
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup lemon juice + zest

Instructions

• Start by candying almonds. In a large stockpot, toast almonds for a couple minutes over medium heat.
• Add 1/2 cup white sugar and stir constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon over medium/high heat. The sugar will clump like sand at first. Keep going until the sugar dissolves into a brown liquid caramel and coats the nuts. Turn your heat down if the sugar begins to burn.
• Transfer candied almonds to a silicon-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and cinnamon. Let cool.
• For the zucchini cake, start by preheating oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt cake pan with butter and lightly dust flour in the pan, turning and patting to remove excess flour and coat all the butter.
• In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip 1 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 3 eggs on high until light and fluffy.
• Turn mixer down to medium and slowly drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify. Add softened butter, sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla.
• Peel and grate zucchini and squeeze out excess liquid with a dish towel or cheese cloth. Add zucchini to cake batter.
• Sift flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda over large mixing bowl. Add tarragon. Add your dry ingredients gradually to the wet zucchini batter.
• In a blender or mortar and pestle, blend candied almonds until it becomes a thick crumb. Transfer your cake batter to the prepared bundt cake pan and sprinkle candied almond crumb on top. Swirl into the batter with a chopstick.
• Bake cake for 55-65 minutes, or until the cake is golden and springs back when touched. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove cake from bundt pan and allow to cool completely before adding glaze.
• To make glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a pyrex measuring glass. Add a pinch of salt for flavor. It should be a thick, creamy mixture. Pour onto cool cake and spread with a spatula.