I’m not sure why, but last week I got this hankering for zucchini bread. I’ve never made it before, had one slice of it this past summer, and no one had even mentioned zucchini bread—I just wanted some. So, I started doing some recipe research.
I wasn’t even sure if there would be any zucchini in the store at this time of year, as it’s clearly past zucchini season. Turns out, zucchini has started to become a year-round item. So with my luck, the store had some.
I don’t have two loaf pans, so I used my bundt cake pan instead. The bread cooked beautifully in it. The color is even throughout the “loaf” and it turned out moist with awesome texture. I’ve actually considered trying to bake my banana bread this way too!
One of the main reasons why I chose this recipe is because the amount of sugar was considerably less than others. However, I did take note from other recipes when it came to the oil amount. The original recipe calls for 1 cup of oil, but I altered it to be 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce. Next time I make this, I plan on playing around more with the measurements and ingredients. For instance, I want to do a full cup of applesauce, rather than 1/2 cup, and then I want to substitute banana for one (or all) of the eggs. I also want to play with the sugar amount…adjust the measurement and include brown sugar. The possibilities!
Other notes about this recipe: DON’T drain/squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini—it adds to the moisture of the bread. This was easy enough to hand whisk/mix together (which is what I did), but a mixer is fine as well.
Zucchini Bread
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yields: 2 loaf pans / 1 bundt pan / 2 dozen muffins
Ingredients
3 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup applesauce
1 ¾ cups sugar
2–3 cups chopped zucchini (2 average sized zucchinis)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Optional additions: chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries
Directions
1. Peel and chop the zucchini into small pieces. A large cheese grater could also work.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour your pan(s) of choice thoroughly. If using muffin tins, line with cups.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Mix in the oil, applesauce and sugar, followed by the zucchini and vanilla.
4. Combine the remaining dry ingredients, along with any optional additions.
5. Add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix well until combined.
6. Pour (and divide) the batter into prepared pans.
Bake the loaves or bunt pan for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Mine took 55 minutes. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes.
—m.