Zucchini Bread

This recipe was created during one of Mummy’s fridge and pantry clean out sessions. Chef Gerald never likes the sight of a half-empty fridge, but he has come to accept the fact that we have to make room for fresh groceries on a weekly basis.

The ingredient list here is rather long, however the cake is very easy to put together and doesn’t require much preparation beyond measuring some ingredients, roughly chopping the nuts and grating the zucchini. Feel free to leave out anything you don’t have on hand, as this is the kind of loaf that should be fun to experiment with in terms of different textures and flavours. There is only a little bit of sugar in our recipe, as we are not too fond of terribly sweet things and there is sufficient flavour here from the spices, dried fruit and the natural sweetness of the zucchini. This is a lovely moist bread with lots of texture that can be enjoyed on its own, although you could also serve it very lightly toasted and spread with butter or cream cheese for an extra decadent treat.

The star ingredient here is the humble zucchini. They are available in plentiful supply here at present, and they happen to be one of Chef Gerald’s favourite foods as well 🙂 They are incredibly versatile and can easily make their way into many different types of dishes, from snacks to desserts. Having taken them for granted for far too long, Mummy and Chef Gerald thought it was time to reacquaint themselves with what makes zucchini special. Here is what we found.

As a proud member of the summer squash family, zucchini – or courgettes as they are known in other parts of the world – are believed to have originated in America. When this delicious plant was finally introduced to Europe, the Italians fell in love with it and developed the varieties we know and love today. Zucchini can withstand various cooking methods such as steaming, baking, grilling or frying and has become a staple ingredient in summer cooking virtually everywhere.

We are used to thinking of zucchini as a vegetable but, technically speaking, it is an immature fruit. For those readers interested in nutritional information, you will be pleased to find out that zucchini are rich in folate, potassium and vitamin A – yet another reason to enjoy our yummy zucchini bread without feeling guilty 🙂

Zucchini Bread

110 g spelt flour

115 g whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

3 tbsp  brown sugar

200 ml  light (12% fat) sour cream

1 ½  cup zucchini (2 medium), coarsely grated

90 ml coconut oil

1 cup macadamias (or any other nuts of your choice – walnuts or pecans should work really well), roughly chopped

1 cup sultanas and currants

Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees  Celsius.

Lightly grease a 9 x 13 in cake tin and line the base with baking paper.

Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon and set aside.

Place eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until pale and creamy.

Add coconut oil, sour cream, zucchini, nuts and dried fruit and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Gradually fold in the flour mixture, mixing gently. Avoid overmixing here – all we are trying to ensure is that the flour is evenly incorporated in the batter.

Pour into prepared tin and bake for 50 – 60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin before turning onto a wire rack to cool.