Zucchini Cake and Zucchini Muffin Recipes

Use Garden Zucchini to Create a Moist, Spicy Dessert and Muffins

Aug 11, 2009 Dianna Brodine

Summer zucchini squash and spices combine to create two moist desserts. The first is a cake using chocolate and butterscotch chips and the second is a muffn with pumpkin.

Zucchini squash is a summer vegetable that can take on a life of its own in gardens, producing a large crop that has gardeners, their friends, and their neighbors scrambling to use the zucchini in delicious ways. Low in calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium, zucchini is a healthy addition to many well-known dishes, including lasagnas, soups, and casseroles.

Peeled and grated zucchini also can be added to a variety of desserts, adding texture to the batter and keeping the baked product moist. Here, zucchini is used with cinnamon and nutmeg to create a spicy cake, with a sweet taste provided by the addition of both chocolate and butterscotch chips. The muffin recipe that follows combines the autumn tastes of pumpkin and spice with the summer zucchini.

Zucchini Cake Recipe

  • 3 ½ cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 4 beaten eggs
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 2 cups peeled and grated zucchini
  • 12 ounce package of chocolate chips
  • 12 ounce package of butterscotch chips
  • 1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine the flower, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar.
  3. Add the oil, beaten eggs, and water. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
  4. Add the zucchini, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips. Mix thoroughly.
  5. Pour the mixture into a greased 12x17 baking pan.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

The spices in the cake nicely compliment the sweetness of the chocolate and butterscotch chips. The cake can be frosted with a commercial or homemade chocolate frosting, if desired, to add another layer of sweet taste.

Pumpkin and Zucchini Muffins

  • 1 ¾ cups flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 beaten egg
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ½ cup peeled and shredded zucchini
  • ½ cup canned pumpkin

Directions:

  1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  2. Add the egg, milk, and oil. Combine until dry and wet ingredients are well-mixed, but don’t try to beat out all of the lumps. Overmixing can cause the muffins to lose their light, fluffy texture.
  3. Mix in the zucchini and pumpkin, stirring until they are distributed throughout the batter.
  4. Pour batter into greased muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 of the way full.
  5. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. The muffins should be a light brown in appearance.
  6. This recipe makes approximately 12 muffins.

The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to take advantage of an abundant crop of zucchini. Muffins also can be frozen and then thawed for later serving. The pumpkin and zucchini muffins can be eaten for breakfast or as a side with soup.

The copyright of the article Zucchini Cake and Zucchini Muffin Recipes in Seasonal Cooking is owned by Dianna Brodine. Permission to republish Zucchini Cake and Zucchini Muffin Recipes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Summer Zuchini Squash, Jean-noël Lafargue Summer Zuchini Squash
   
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