I harvested what I suspect will be the last mini-zucchinis from our garden last week (small cry). After enjoying this lemon zucchini cake for the first time a few months back, I really wanted to make it again. Note that it’s called cake, rather than bread, and that’s because the texture is so light and moist and lovely! I slightly adapted this recipe from Becca’s Vegetarian Blog and decided to write it up so I won’t forget it, and so I don’t have to weigh the ingredients next time. 😉
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup vegetable oil
zest from 2 lemons, plus juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Wet ingredients
Steps:
Preheat your oven to 320 degrees and grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, mix the zucchini, oil, egg, sugar, lemon zest and juice with a large spoon.
In a small bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir gently until the flour is integrated.
Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 55 – 60 mins. until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Several months ago I happened upon a scrumptious banana bread recipe in an unlikely place… a kid’s magazine. The recipe below is just slightly adapted from Joanne Chang from the Flour Bakery in Boston, and was featured in kazoo magazine issue #3. The recipe produces a sweet, tender crumbed, delicate banana bread, with slightly addictive qualities. If you happen to have 7 ripe bananas laying around, you should definitely make 2 loaves!
I’ve made this a few times now with my 7-year old, and it’s definitely good for teaching her about fractions, and following a sequential procedure. However, there are a few steps, namely the extended period of beating the eggs and sugar, that are honestly not very kid-friendly. So, feel free to make this on your own in half the time it takes to collaborate with a kid in the kitchen! 😉
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 1/2 ripe bananas mashed
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mixing dry ingredients into the wet ingredients
Steps:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Sift together the flours, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
In a big bowl, beat the sugar and eggs with an electric hand mixer until they’re light and fluffy ~ about 8 minutes!
With the mixer on low speed, drizzle the oil slowly into the egg mixture, so that it doesn’t make the batter collapse.
On low speed, mix in the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla.
Stir in the dry ingredients with a spoon, until the flour totally disappears.
Pour the batter into your pan and bake for 60 – 75 mins. It should spring back when touched. (This time it took 78 mins. to bake! I suspect that the time is variable based on the size and ripeness of your bananas.)
Let cool for about 20 mins. and then slice and serve.
One of my favorite things to harvest from my summer garden is zucchini. We turn it into zucchini fritters, saute it, make zucchini breakfast pancakes, use ribbons of it to sub for pasta, and of course, zucchini bread. I love the simplicity of quick breads, and the healthy-ish nature of zucchini bread. My favorite way to enjoy it is warm with a little butter, but I also found it’s delicious with pear butter. Whenever I make a loaf, it’s gone so quickly I wonder why I didn’t make two.
Here in Portland, OR, the weather suddenly became Fall about 2 weeks ago; right on schedule I suppose. This means the squash plants are quickly winding down, so I may only get a few more small zucchini.
This recipe works equally well in loaf or muffin form, although I like to add fresh cranberries when I make it into muffins. (See variation below)
(Yield: one 8×4 inch loaf or 10 muffins)
Scallop or pattypan squash, zucchini, and cucumber
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups mixed flours (1/2 – 3/4 cup all purpose flour, plus almond flour, ground flax, whole wheat, spelt, millet, etc.)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup white or brown sugar
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
(optional) zest of one lemon
mixed flours
Steps:
1. Grease bottom and sides of 8 x 4 loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flours, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg, and set aside.
3. In another medium mixing bowl combine sugar, shredded zucchini, oil, egg, and lemon zest (optional). Mix well and then add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir just until moistened, and fold in chopped nuts.
4. Spoon batter into greased pan and bake for 55 mins. or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 10 mins. Slice and serve; or remove from pan and let cool completely if you wish to store it or gift it. Wrap with foil or plastic wrap.
Cranberry Zucchini Muffin Variation:
Measure about a generous 1/2 cup of fresh (or slightly defrosted) cranberries, cut them in half, and mix with a tablespoon of sugar. Add cranberries to batter with chopped nuts (above). Grease or line a muffin pan and fill cups. Bake at 350 for about 20 mins. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Yield: 10 muffins.
Cranberry and Zucchini Muffins
(Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook 1996)
Cardamom & Creme 