As you may have gathered, I’ve been working my way through some garden veggies I was recently given by my Aunt Becky. So far they’ve inspired two dinners (found HERE and HERE) and now this yummy treat!
I wanted to use up the zucchini in some savory and sweet ways, so this bread recipe caught my attention immediately!
At Christmastime I traditionally make a couple loaves of Cranberry Poppyseed bread that is similar to this, but that recipe may get the boot now that I’ve made this one! This bread is so much lighter and cakier. Cakey-er?
You get what I mean.
I think the zucchini is what takes this bread over the top and makes it so wonderfully moist. The cranberries and lemon zest give a tart punch to offset the sweetness. It’s just delicious. Trust me :)
If you have any zucchini haters in your house, I suggest peeling the zucchini before you grate it…they won’t see the green flecks throughout (which I think are so beautiful!) and will be none the wiser about your sneaky veggie ways.
I found the original recipe on Pinterest and modified it a little to use what I had on hand (cranberries in place of raspberries and coconut oil in place of vegetable oil).
It was also my first time using a silicone loaf pan and I’m sold! Once the bread was cool, I just twisted the pan a little and the loaf popped right out. Easy peasy.
Bye bye metal loaf pans and all your headaches!
But I digress…
Here’s the recipe the way I made it. I hope you try it and love it as much as we did!
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup coconut oil (melted or at least soft)
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup grated zucchini (this is one medium to small zucchini)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (I stock up on a few bags in December and freeze them for use later in year)
- GLAZE
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (leftover from the lemon you used from the bread)
- Preheat oven to 350 ⁰F. Grease and flour a 9×5″ loaf pan, set aside.
- In large bowl, blend flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the mixer bowl of a stand mixer/medium-sized bowl, beat 2 eggs well. Then add oil and sugar, and beat on low until well combined. Add the milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest; blend everything well.
- Gently mix in the zucchini until just evenly distributed in mixture.
- Add dry ingredients and fold everything together, but don’t over mix.
- Fold in the cranberries.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes (it took 50 minutes in my oven) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.
- While the loaf is cooling, in small bowl, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice until well blended. Spoon the glaze over the cooled loaf. Let the glaze set prior to slicing and serving.
