Zucchini Loaf

When you have got masses of zucchini or courgettes growing in your garden and they all come at once, it can be quite daunting to think “what else can I possibly do with them?”.  In an earlier post I recommended that you grate the zucchini and freeze it in 1 cup amounts.  This recipe is perfect for using your grated zucchini and is delicious.  The first time I made it I followed the recipe exactly (apart from adding some ginger to it) and it was nice but a bit dry and a little too sweet for my liking.  So the second time I replaced the sugar with some honey and increased the amount of oil and came up with a moist and not too sweet variation.  I’ve given both the options below so you can choose which you prefer.

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar (I use 3/4 cup honey or rice syrup)

1 cup grated zucchini (frozen works well)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use 1/2 cup)

1 egg

1/4 tsp lemon zest

In a mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.  In another mixing bowl combine sugar, grated zucchini, oil, egg and lemon zest. Mix well and pour into the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.

Pour mixture into a lined loaf tin.  Bake at 170C for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing onto a wire rack.