One day my lovely niece invited me to her home for coffee. She had just baked a pound cake, and the wonderful smell met me as soon as I walked in through the door. Well, if the smell was wonderful, then the taste was simply heavenly. My oh my. . . So moist and delicious! I got rather surprised when she told me that this cake's main ingredient was shredded zucchini. What a pleasant surprise, knowing that by eating this pound cake, I was eating healthy too! Well, unless you eat half of the cake in one sitting, which I did, I simply could not resist.
Now I will share this recipe with the rest of you. I hope you'll enjoy this cake as much as I did.
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| Zucchini and Nut Cake |
Recipe For Zucchini and Nut Cake
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 cups of raw shredded zucchini
- 1 cup of shelled, unsalted and roasted pistachio nuts or almonds, coarsely chopped.
- Confectioners' sugar (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 10-inch bundt or loaf pan. Sprinkle with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, vanilla and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
- Melt butter in a saucepan, let cool.
- Coarsely grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Spread the pistachios or almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Coarsely chop the nuts.
- Using an electric mixer, beat egg and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Add the melted butter. Use a flexible spatula to fold in the zucchini and nuts. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake until loaf is golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes before unfolding onto rack to cool completely. If you like you can sift confectioners' sugar over cake before serving.
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| This Pound Cake Freezes Very Well |
Zucchini Could Be Added to Any Pound Cake Recipe
By adding zucchini to your pound cake recipe, you will not only add plenty of fiber and vitamins, but also give the cake moisture. Zucchini is plain in its flavor and low in calories, and will make a great substitution in cakes. Since this vegetable is plain in flavor, it can be added to any flavored cake such as lemon, chocolate or coconut pound cake. To use zucchini in a pound cake recipe, coarsely grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and then simply add 1 cup of squeezed, shredded zucchini to the recipe.
Without Anyone Noticing, They are Eating Healthy!
Some people, especially children may not like vegetables. However, your friends and family will never guess that the delicious and mouthwatering cake you are serving them, is cramped with zucchini, a fibrous and healthy vegetable. Not only will zucchini add plenty of vitamins and fiber to the cake but it will also give the cake moisture.
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| When used for food or baking, zucchini are usually picked when under 20 cm (8 in.) in length, when the seeds are still soft and immature. |
Did you know that in North America and Australia the plant is most commonly called zucchini which comes from the Italian word zucchina? The name courgette is French and is commonly used in South Africa, New Zealand, Great Britain and Ireland.
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| A slice of Healthy Cake |
Enjoy!
