Making zucchini bread is a great way to use up all those enormous zucchinis that seem to materialize in your garden after you were sure the season was over. But did you know summer squash works in the exact same way, and provides an even more neutral flavor? You can even grate your bumper crop of summer squash and freeze it in 1-pound increments. Then you can make this delicious Starbucks lemon loaf dupe all winter long.
Notes
- Skip the Nuts: You can absolutely omit the nuts from this recipe and enjoy a smooth, lemony loaf without them.
- Starbucks Lemon Loaf Dupe: To enjoy the amazing flavor of the Starbucks lemon loaf at home, without any of the extra chemicals or sugar, just omit the nuts from this recipe and add this delicious glaze on top: Cream Cheese Glaze
Storage
Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge or on the counter for 3-4 days.
Related
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Grace Says:
Quick breads like zucchini, summer squash, or banana bread are perfect for introducing kids into the kitchen. If you have multiple children, you can split up the process easily so it becomes a fun group project. One child can whisk the dry ingredients, another can mix the wet, another can ready the pan and melt the butter, another can help younger ones with measuring, etc.
📖 Recipe
Lemon Summer Squash Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 Tbl lemon zest
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup chopped nuts of choice, like walnuts, pecans, or almonds (optional)
- 1 cup summer squash, grated
Instructions
- If you haven't yet, grate your summer squash with a coarse grater and set aside. If using frozen, ensure it's thawed completely before beginning. You don't need to completely squeeze all the liquid out of the squash, but we don't want it to be dripping. I recommend just doing 1-2 squishes to remove excess water, especially if it was previously frozen.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Using the spent butter wrapper works great.
- Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest) together to blend. In a separate bowl, combine your wet ingredients (butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, lemon juice, sour cream or yogurt, and vanilla).
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until barely combined. Then fold in your squash and nuts. Stir until there are no more flour streaks, and then stop.
- Pour into the loaf pan and bake for ~1 hour. Test with a toothpick, poking it into the center and ensuring it comes out clean before removing from the oven. Leave in for additional 5-minute increments if the toothpick comes out completely gooey. It should reach an internal temperature of 200℉ in the center.
- Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then loosen around the sides with a butter knife. Then carefully flip out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing or glazing.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!