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Mom’s Zucchini Bread 2.0

Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, , ,

I have the best zucchini bread for you today, ready to use up the last of the fresh zucchini coming in from your gardens and farmer’s markets. I started with a tried and true family favorite, but made some slight adjustments. I think it’s the best zucchini bread out there! It’s still moist and cakey without being dense, and has the best cinnamon flavor without being too sweet. It’s perfect for breakfast, snack time, or even dessert!

Mom's Zucchini Bread 2.0 - The Archaeologist Bakes

As I mentioned, I started with my mom’s recipe that we’ve been using for years. And based on a quick internet search, it seems like a lot of moms and grandmas out there are using the same recipe. And it really was good to begin with, but I wanted to make a few changes.

The first problem I encountered with the original recipe was that it was created for 8×4-inch loaf pans. All of my loaf pans are 9×5-inch, and I bet a lot of you have the same size. This meant the loaves (each batch makes two) were pretty flat and sad-looking. But it was too much batter for just one 9×5-inch loaf. So I upped the quantities and now you get two perfectly sized loaves. If you are using 8×4-inch pans, you’ll just get three loaves instead.

Mom's Zucchini Bread 2.0 - The Archaeologist Bakes

The next problem was that while I love a nice, moist, cakey quick bread, most of the zucchini breads I have tried tend to be a little dense and almost wet. I took a page out of some other recipes I had seen, and decided to squeeze out some of the moisture from the zucchini before adding it to the batter. It doesn’t have to be squeezed completely dry, but removing about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of liquid from it helps a lot with the texture of the finished bread.

Because I was removing some of the bitter liquid, and because I sometimes find zucchini bread to be on the sweet side, I also reduced the sugar a bit. It’s still sweet, but it has a nice balance with the other flavors. And while I just use cinnamon, you could easily substitute the spices of your choice. Use apple pie or pumpkin pie spice, or make a blend of your favorite spices (I’m thinking cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom next time).

Mom's Zucchini Bread 2.0 - The Archaeologist Bakes

I add nuts to my zucchini bread, pecans and walnuts to be specific, but as with almost every recipe, those are optional. Use whatever nut or seed you like – pumpkin or sunflower seeds would be great! Just avoid any that are salted for this recipe. Or, make it even more decadent and add chocolate chips, whatever flavor you prefer! You can even leave the add-ins out entirely.

Whatever mix-ins or spices you choose, I hope you give this recipe a try. It is seriously the best zucchini bread I’ve ever eaten, and I think you’ll love it too!

Mom's Zucchini Bread 2.0 - The Archaeologist Bakes
Print Recipe
 Mom's Zucchini Bread 2.0
Servings
loaves
Ingredients
Servings
loaves
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Place grated zucchini in a clean tea towel and squeeze out excess moisture. It doesn't have to be completely dry, but give it a good squeeze to eliminate the excess liquid. You should remove 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Set zucchini aside.
  2. Combine eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined.
  3. Add zucchini and stir until incorporated.
  4. Add all dry ingredients except nuts and stir just until there are no streaks of flour remaining.
  5. Stir in nuts.
  6. Pour into two greased 9x5-inch loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees F for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center has a few moist crumbs attached.
  7. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze, well-wrapped, for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
  • Use three pans if you have 8x4-inch loaf pans. It's ok to bake two and keep the remining batter refrigerated until you can wash and re-use one of the pans.
  • As always, nuts are optional. Use any unsalted variety you like, or substitute with seeds or chocolate chips. 
  • Instead of cinnamon use apple pie or pumpkin pie spice. Or create your own spice blend. Just use the same total amount -  1 1/2 tablespoons.
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Black and White Banana Cupcakes

Cakes and cupcakes, , ,

I have the perfect Fourth of July recipe for you today! It’s a delicious banana cupcake dipped in chocolate and vanilla fudge frostings. It’s a great dessert to bring to a cookout for several reasons. First, the recipe makes 24 cupcakes, so there’s plenty to go around. Second, the frostings set up firm so they’re easy to transport and they won’t melt easily in the heat if you’ve got them sitting outside. And finally, well, they’re just plain delicious!

These cupcakes are one of my favorites. Well, let me clarify. The cupcakes are delicious. The frostings are out of this world, and probably the reason I like the cupcakes so much. I am a chocolate person through and through. I never choose vanilla if chocolate is an option. Except with this frosting. This vanilla frosting is almost like a vanilla fudge. It is so good, it will almost make you forget there is chocolate available too. Almost. So, I could never choose between a vanilla frosted and chocolate frosted one. Until now. I figured if New York could frost their cookies with both vanilla and chocolate, well, I could do it to my cupcakes. Yep, it’s a good idea.

Let’s start by talking about the cupcakes. Really, these aren’t much different than banana bread. They’re a little bit lighter in texture, which is perfect for a summer cupcake. The banana flavor is there but not overwhelming, and the bananas help to keep the cupcakes moist. Nuts are completely optional, but I do enjoy walnuts or pecans in these. I think hazelnuts or macadamias would also be great. Or, if you prefer to throw in some mini chocolate chips, I won’t stop you. They’re your cupcakes – do what sounds good to you!

Now, the frostings. Yes, plural. But I promise they aren’t difficult. Both are rich and fudgy, and they both go so well with the banana cupcake. To frost them, if you only want one flavor on the cupcake, you can just dip the tops into the warm frosting. To get the half and half look, I found it easier to use a spoon or spatula to spread partially cooled frosting on half a cupcake and then repeat on the other half with the other flavor. If you want sprinkles (and who doesn’t want sprinkles?), you need to be fast with them. This frosting sets fairly quickly, so I wouldn’t frost more than one or two cupcakes before topping with sprinkles. It’s a great task for any little helpers you have!

Each frosting recipe makes enough to fully frost 12 cupcakes, so one recipe of each flavor will cover 24, either 12 of each or half and half on 24. Of course, if you don’t need to transport these or want to change them up, you can absolutely use a standard buttercream. Chocolate, vanilla…..peanut butter, anyone? And you could replace the sprinkles with chopped nuts, mini chocolate chips, or chopped candies. 

These cupcakes are sure to become a favorite. Bake up a batch for your next picnic or bake sale. And if you have leftovers, well, they’re basically banana bread…so I say eat them for breakfast!


Print Recipe


Black and White Banana Cupcakes

A light banana cupcake with chocolate and vanilla fudge frostings.

Course Dessert

Servings
cupcakes


Ingredients
Cupcakes

Chocolate Frosting

Vanilla Frosting

Course Dessert

Servings
cupcakes


Ingredients
Cupcakes

Chocolate Frosting

Vanilla Frosting


Instructions
Cupcakes
  1. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well,

  2. Stir in mashed bananas.

  3. Combine dry ingredients, except nuts. in a separate bowl.

  4. Add half of dry ingredients to banana mixture, mix, and add sour milk. Mix well and add remainder of dry ingredients.

  5. Stir in nuts if using.

  6. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners and fill about 2/3 full.

  7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and the centers spring back when touched.

  8. Remove cupcakes to wire racks to cool.

Chocolate Frosting
  1. Combine chocolate, butter, and milk in the top of a double boiler and heat until melted.

  2. Turn off heat, but leave the double boiler together. Stir in powdered sugar. Frosting should be thick but pourable.

Vanilla Frosting
  1. Combine butter, milk, and salt in the top of a double boiler and heat until melted.

  2. Turn off heat but leave double boiler together. Stir in vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Frosting should be thick but pourable.

Assembly
  1. While frosting is still pourable, dip the tops of the cupcakes and allow to set on wire racks.

  2. To create half and half cupcakes, let frosting cool slightly and spread cupcakes half with vanilla and half with chocolate frosting.

  3. Frosting sets quickly, so add sprinkles after every one or two cupcakes are frosted.

  4. If frosting begins to cool and set in the bowl, you can reheat gently in the double boiler.


Recipe Notes

Make these your own:

  • Choose your favorite nut to add.
  • Leave out the nuts entirely.
  • Substitute mini chocolate chips instead of nuts.
  • Not in love with chocolate? Double the batch of vanilla frosting and use only that.
  • Family of chocoholics? Double the chocolate frosting and use only that.
  • Instead of sprinkles, use nuts, mini chips, or chopped candies.
  • You can use any flavor of buttercream on these as well - chocolate, vanilla, and peanut butter would be great!


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Mud Pie for Grandpa

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I am a long-time collector of recipes. Cookbooks, magazines, recipe cards – I love them all. For years I copied or clipped recipes from all of the above, and I keep them in a set of binders. More recipes than I’ll ever get around to making. As I was looking through those binders looking for inspiration, I came across an old recipe for Mud Pie. It came out of a children’s cookbook, Alpha Bakery by Gold Medal Flour.

Sometime in roughly the mid-90’s, I made this recipe for a family dinner. I don’t remember the exact occasion, but my grandparents, and maybe others, had come to dinner. Anyway, I made the mud pie and we all thought it was delicious. Several months or maybe even a year later, my grandfather asked about the dessert. He wanted me to make it again. He described it as a brownie or cake with whipped cream on it. Well, neither my mom nor I, or anyone else, could remember such a recipe. (I know – that really makes you want to try a recipe we couldn’t remember a relatively short time later.) He continued to talk about it on occasion, and how much he liked it. But we just could not figure out what that recipe was.

My grandpa passed away in 2006, and I still hadn’t figured out what dessert he was remembering. Fast forward several years, when my parents were moving into their current house and I was helping them to pack up. I was looking through all of my mom’s cookbooks while packing them when I came across the Alpha Bakery cookbook. I flipped through it to see if there were any recipes worth saving, and as soon as I saw the Mud Pie recipe I knew that was recipe Grandpa kept asking about. I copied it then and put it into my binder, to be forgotten again until this past weekend. Since his 95th birthday would have been later this week, I knew it was time to make it again.

The base is a rich brownie with chopped nuts. I used slivered almonds because I had some on hand. But you can of course use the nuts of your choice, or leave them out. Replace them with chocolate chips (any flavor) if you’d like. You top the brownie with hot fudge sauce. I used a homemade sauce, but you can definitely use a jarred sauce – fudge sauce, not chocolate syrup. I also think this would be delicious with a caramel sauce instead. Then top it all with whipped cream. I used a stabilized whipped cream, since I knew we wouldn’t eat it all at once. You could use regular whipped cream if you have enough people to serve that there won’t be leftovers. Or Cool Whip works too. But if you are making your own whipped cream, consider playing around with the flavors. Personally, I think a little almond extract in it would be perfect. But strawberry or cherry extract and a little red or pink food coloring would be delicious. Or peppermint extract and green food color for a grasshopper type of pie. The possibilities are endless.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Print Recipe
 Mud Pie
A dense, fudgy brownie topped with hot fudge sauce and whipped cream. Lightly adapted from Gold Medal Flour's Alpha Bakery
Course Dessert
Servings
Ingredients
Brownie Base
Whipped Cream
Course Dessert
Servings
Ingredients
Brownie Base
Whipped Cream
Instructions
Brownie Base
  1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F and grease an 8-inch cake pan or pie plate.
  2. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. Stir in flour, cocoa powder, and nuts.
  4. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted halfway between the center and the edge comes out clean. Time will depend partly on the size of your pan.
  5. As soon as the brownie comes out of the oven, poke it all over with a skewer or fork. Spread the fudge sauce over the brownie and let cool completely.
Whipped Cream
  1. For stabilized whipped cream, combine gelatin and water in a small saucepan and let sit until thick.
  2. Melt gelatin over low heat, stirring constantly. Once melted, remove from heat and cool slightly.
  3. While gelatin cools, whip cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Add vanilla. (At this point, for regular whipped cream, whip a little longer until stiff peaks and use immediately.)
  4. Beating slowly, gradually add the cooled gelatin mixture to the whipped cream. It will start to look a little curdled, but beat at low to medium speed just until combine and peaks are stiff.
  5. Spread or pipe onto cooled brownie base.
  6. Serve with shaved chocolate or additional hot fudge sauce.
  7. Store in refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
  • Use any nuts you like, or substitute with any flavor of chocolate chips.
  • Jarred or homemade hot fudge sauce works great. Experiment with flavors. Try caramel sauce, or chocolate-mint fudge sauce instead.
  • Use Cool Whip in place of whipped cream.
  • Or flavor your whipped cream with any extract you like. Enhance with food color if desired. Think mint, strawberry, etc.
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Zucchini Bread – Made with Spaghetti Squash!

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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….


Print Recipe
 Zucchini Bread - with Spaghetti Squash!
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Servings
Loaves
Ingredients
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Servings
Loaves
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Whisk eggs and sugar together until thick and very light yellow in color.
  2. Whisk in oil and vanilla until combined.
  3. Stir in shredded zucchini or squash.
  4. Combine dry ingredients and stir into batter along with nuts, if using, just until combined.
  5. Pour into two 8"x4" greased loaf pans.
  6. Bake at 325 degrees F for 60-70 minutes. (See notes).
  7. Cool 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Serve warm or room temperature.
  8. Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature or a week refrigerated.
Recipe Notes
  • 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.
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