Cake of the Week: Zucchini Apricot Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze

I was raised to be a science nerd (ah even the best-laid plans don’t always pan out). My dad taught high school chemistry and physics, so my childhood toys included chemistry sets, K’NEX, crystal growing kits, and a real set of test tubes from his school lab. I liked “experimenting” – whether that be melting crayons in the microwave (not advisable) or feeding my little sister glue just to see what would happen (also not advisable – sorry Sister2!).

Anywho, I suppose you could say that my love of baking stems from that science background. Mix x,y, and z ingredients and you can pretty reliably expect a certain result. But what I love most about baking is the “experimenting” factor. I know that if I follow a recipe exactly it will probably turn out well, but I always can’t help but wonder – what if I switch out this for that? Or add this? Or maybe try this?

Some of these experiments turn out poorly, because if you deviate too far from the baking science things can go horribly wrong.  But sometimes kitchen magic happens and things turn out absolutely deliciously.

Case in point: this Zucchini Apricot Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze. It sounds like a weird combination of potentially too many things, but trust me, it is absolutely perfect.

The cake is moist thanks to the zucchini (sidenote: there is no thesaurus alternative for “moist” when describing cake…at least none that I can find…so I’m sorry for that…please let me know if you can think of one!), the apricots add a nice sweet tang to contrast with the toasted walnuts, and the lemon glaze – oh the lemon glaze! Please just make this so you can eat it ASAP. It is by far the best think I've baked in quite a while.

Zucchini Apricot Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze 

(Adapted from Sparrows and Spatulas)
Printable Recipe.
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (sounds like a lot, but you want it all)
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)
• 1 fresh apricot, diced
• 1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour one 9-inch round cake pan  (or a loaf pan). 
2. Place the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them until they are golden brown and aromatic, 12-14 minutes. Cool completely and then finely chop them.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices into a medium bowl and set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a spoon!), beat the eggs, sugar and olive oil, and water together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the dry ingredients all at once on low speed until they are thoroughly combined, then switch to medium speed and mix for 30 seconds. Mix in the zucchini, apricot, and walnuts on low speed until they are completely incorporated.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes (40-45 if you’re using a loaf pan) or until a tester inserted in the cakes comes out clean and the cakes have begun to pull away from the sides of the pans.
5. While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and granulated sugar, then whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until the glaze is completely smooth.
6. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a wire rack. Immediately spoon the glaze over the entire surface of the warm cake, using all of the glaze; it will adhere to the cake and set as the cake cools. Allow the cake to cool completely and the glaze to dry.

Printable Recipe.

Cake of the Week: Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

I went out dancing in Adam’s Morgan on Friday night, where one of the most horrifyingly awesome interactions I have ever experienced occurred.

I was out with friends of friends, and one of them was apparently interested in me.

Guy: I heard about your blog, so you must be a good baker?

Me: Umm, yeah, I like to bake…

Guy: Well I know your mom must be a good baker!

Me: ?

Guy: She is because she made you!

And then my mind exploded. Like WHAT???? Did that seriously just happen? Yes it did. Obviously I fled the scene immediately because really? He expected that to work??? Sigh.

Though this young man was over-confident and uncreative and slightly creepy, he did have a point. My mama is a good baker! And one of her specialties is zucchini bread. And because my family is awesome, our zucchini bread tends to involve chocolate. This recipe can vary from healthier cinnamon-walnut zucchini bread to chocolate chip zucchini bread, to double chocolate zucchini bread. All are delicious! A slice of zucchini bread and a cup of coffee makes the perfect breakfast or afternoon snack.

I can remember my mom grating those super-huge zucchinis you get when you leave your veggies too long on the vine into her big mixing bowl. She then proceeded to make loaves and loaves and loaves of zucchini bread. (Remember the biscotti? My mama makes things in large quantities.) Some we ate immediately, and the rest went into the freezer to save for later.

I made zucchini bread this weekend for my LOTR party. I thought that zucchini bread seemed like a hobbit-ish food because it has veggies (hobbits are farmers)…I imagine Bilbo Baggins sitting down to a slice of zucchini bread for elevensies, or perhaps afternoon tea?

Mama's Zucchini Bread

¾ cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups flour (you can do half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour if you want)

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

¾ to 1 ½ cup chocolate chips (this time I got a little carried away and went for 1 ½ cups of chocolatey goodness…but use your best judgement)

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Mix the grated zucchini and salt in a drainer and let sit at least 15 minutes. Press the zucchini with a paper towel to drain out extra moisture.

2. Mix oil, eggs, and brown sugar.

3. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.

4. Mix in drained zucchini, nuts, and chocolate chips if using. The batter will be thin.

5. Pour batter into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake for 40-55 minutes, until a toothpick or sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes in the pans, then shake the loaves out and continue cooling on a baking rack.

If you wanted to make this more healthy-breakfast-ish, you can always substitute apple sauce for half the oil, do all whole wheat flour, and omit the chocolate chips. Though I can't imagine why you would ever omit the chocolate chips!

My mama wouldn't do that...

Cake of the Week: Zucchini Cupcakes and GIVEAWAY

Today is the last day to enter my GIVEAWAY!

Let’s take a moment for a collective Awwwwww! 

This is my Nigerien homestay brother, Lowaley, and his cousin, Hadiza. Aren’t they adorable??? 

They live outside Niamey, the capital of Niger. Niger is currently threatened by massive famine, compounded yesterday by flooding in the region. The floods are making an already dangerous situation even worse by washing away food reserves and leaving thousands homeless. 

“The World Food Program recently announced that at current funding levels, it will not be able to help feed 60 percent of those facing hunger in Niger.” Many of those threatened by the famine are children (Article: NIGER: "We drew lots to decide which children to help"). Children are the most vulnerable, so please do what you can! A couple dollars can go a long way in helping people in Niger and helping them live to the next harvest (end of September).

And I promise this is the LAST TIME I'll ask you - the drawing to win a box of pillow cookies will be tonight! So donate, tweet, and then comment on my post for your chance to win!

 _______________________________________________________________________________

In other news, a couple weeks ago I was in the mood to make something summery. And nothing says summer to me like zucchini.

 I used to hate it in its vegetable form. Steamed zucchini = blegh! But zucchini in cake form? Yes please! My mama used to make zucchini bread in many varieties – with chocolate chips, with walnuts, chocolate zucchini bread, and double chocolate zucchini bread. It just tastes like a summer afternoon!

These cupcakes are a spin on that old classic. They’re lighter than traditional zucchini bread, and subtly sweet. The cupcakes themselves are barely sugary at all, so they pair well with a tangy sweet cream cheese frosting. I brought them to work one day and sent out the email: “re: Cupcakes at my desk!”

My bosses and co-workers partook of this zucchini bounty, thanking me and saying how good the cupcakes were. Then a short 15 minutes later, this poem arrived in my inbox:

Don’t Judge Me by Kathleen Davies

At my computer,

I'll say around 4

An invitation for a treat

that I tried to ignore

I told myself no,

resist the lure!

But the more I thought about it,

I wanted it more.

 

No no no!

I have had too many

I had one for breakfast

That is more than plenty.

 

Now I can't even think

about veggies or meat

I have a one track mind

for my tasty treat

 This is a lost cause

I can't resist

baked bread and icing

are at the top of my list

 

Baked just right,

zucchini bread

delightfully delicious

cream cheese spread

 

Mollie, Mollie,

cupcake lady

is the reason I have

a large food baby

 

My willpower was

at an all time low

But do I regret it?

Well, I don't think so!

 

Zucchini Cupcakes (adapted from I Am Baker)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon molasses

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 med. zucchini coarsely shredded (about 1 3/4 cups)

1/3 cup Canola oil

2 large eggs lightly beaten

1 tsp imitation vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In bowl, mix flour, sugar, molasses, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In separate bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Add this to flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Use 1/4 cup measuring cup or ice cream scooper and scoop into prepared cupcake pan.

Bake for 18-22 minutes.

Put in freezer (right out of oven) for about 45 min. to and hour. 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 stick butter (room temperature)

4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

milk to adjust consistency if necessary

Use a mixer to beat butter and cream cheese until mixed. Add in vanilla, then powdered sugar. If your frosting is too dry, add a splash of milk (but be careful – don’t overdo it on the milk!)

Frost your cupcakes and enjoy!