Spiced Zucchini bread

You won’t be able to resist this moist, fragrantly spiced zucchini bread.

Enjoy it for breakfast…or at mid-morning, lunchtime or late afternoon!

Cuketový chlieb

Let me start by saying that this is not a Slovak recipe. A ‘new world’ native, zucchini features more heavily in American baking than in Slovak. Still, it joins this collection as a beloved recipe, baked many, many times (especially in the summer months when the zucchini are overflowing in the back garden). Whether in the form of a loaf or muffins, it has earned its place as a true family favorite. It is one that I will continue to make for my children for years to come, and one which I hope they carry with them once they leave my home.

Storing & saving

Consumer within 2-3 days

Yieldsields

1 loaf

Baking notes

While it’s best to eat a loaf in 2-3 days, an uncut loaf or batch of muffins can also be frozen for up to six months. Thaw overnight and you’re ready to serve in the morning. I find this ideal for the summer months when, inundated with garden zucchini, I can batch bake multiple loaves to save for later.

You can replace zucchini with yellow squash for this recipe!

Ingredients

3 c of zucchini (or yellow squash), grated

¾ c vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 c brown sugar  

½  c granulated sugar

2 ½ c all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp cinnamon

4 tsp vanilla extract

½ c of walnuts, chopped

½ c raisins

• Combine zucchini or yellow squash, oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla in bowl and mix well.

• Add remaining ingredients (excluding walnuts and raisins) and blend until mixture is combined. Fold in nuts and raisins last.

• While preheating your oven 350ºF/180ºC, let batter rest 10 minutes.

• Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes

  Suzanne says: if you don’t have the time to bake a loaf, try muffins instead. See below for muffin-baking tips.

• Let the loaf cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan, then allow to cool fully on a cooling rack before slicing (although I love zucchini bread fresh from the oven, and will often sneak the first still-warm bite!)

Suzanne notes: if you prefer to make muffins, the bake time will be 22-24 minutes.

For muffins with a lovely popped top, try these steps:

• Fill to the upper edge of the muffin tin

• Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes before baking.

• Bake for 5 minutes at 400ºF/200ºC, then lower the temperature to 350ºF/180ºC for the remainder of the bake.