Hi Everyone! I know I’ve been pretty absent here this summer, but I promise I am getting back to baking and will be bringing you lots of new recipes soon! I am so ready for fall – fall weather, fall flavors, fall color. It’s my favorite time of year. 🙂
But for those of you still clinging on to summer, and the bounty of your vegetable garden, I have one more summer recipe for you. Actually, with the cinnamon, it tastes like the start of fall, but it’s a great way to use up your squash.
This was originally my mom’s zucchini bread recipe, and people LOVE this bread. It’s got a nice strong cinnamon flavor and is super moist because of the zucchini. I was gifted a spaghetti squash from a co-worker, and of course I was immediately challenged to bake something with it. I wondered if I could use it in place of zucchini in baked goods. So I did a little research, crossed my fingers, and went for it.
This is the second recipe I’ve tried using that substitution, and I can’t tell the difference between the original and the spaghetti squash version. Yes – it works! The only difference is that you have to cook, and shred, the spaghetti squash first, whereas the zucchini is shredded and added to the batter raw. Also, you need to measure the squash by weight, since it is much more dense than shredded zucchini.
Yes, you can absolutely use zucchini as originally intended. And while I used walnuts in mine, as always, the nuts are optional or changeable. Pecans are always delicious in sweet breads. Hazelnuts or macadamia nuts would be really interesting too. This recipe uses only cinnamon, but you could change that up too. Add in a little bit of nutmeg or cloves for more of a fall flavor. And you can absolutely bake this in standard 8″x4″ loaf pans. I couldn’t resist trying out this beautiful new swirl pan I just got. And I have to say that I am loving it.
Serve this warm or at room temperature. Or toast it and spread on a little butter. Or cream cheese. Or, if you want to go all out, drizzle on some cream cheese icing for a decadent treat. I think I need to go make another batch of this and do just that….
| Servings |
Loaves
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- 3 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 8 oz grated zucchini or spaghetti squash about 2 cups zucchini, 1 1/2 cups spaghetti squash
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped nuts
Ingredients
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- Whisk eggs and sugar together until thick and very light yellow in color.
- Whisk in oil and vanilla until combined.
- Stir in shredded zucchini or squash.
- Combine dry ingredients and stir into batter along with nuts, if using, just until combined.
- Pour into two 8"x4" greased loaf pans.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 60-70 minutes. (See notes).
- Cool 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Serve warm or room temperature.
- Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature or a week refrigerated.
- Zucchini should be grated raw, with or without the peel.
- Spaghetti squash should be cooked (steamed or baked) and shredded before adding to batter.
- If you are using larger loaf pans (like the pan I used, or a 9"x5" pan) the bread will cook faster. Start checking after 35 minutes.
