Because of the ingredient substitutions (i.e. coconut oil, maple syrup and yogurt etc), I would say this bread is on the devilish side of healthy – something just sweet enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, and you’d be dying to devour in the morning (without feeling TOO guilty). Truth be told, you can’t really taste the zucchini much in this bread, but what it does here is to add enough moisture and, of course, loads of nutrients to the final dish. What you get is the right balance of dry and wet, making it moist but not overly gooey. When you add pecans, it creates a nutty crunch that renders the bread a textural feast.
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Salt
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1tsp vanilla
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- one orange, zest of
- 1 cup pecan (~125g), chopped
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, or grease it with butter or oil; set aside.
- Shred a medium size zucchini until you get a cup of shredded zucchini. Squeeze shredded pieces with your hand to get rid of excessive water content; set aside.
- In a bowl, sift in and combine well the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, yogurt, egg, vanilla, zucchini, orange zest and pecan until smooth.
- Pour the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients in three batches, stirring continuously. Stir the batter gently with a spatula until everything is just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Tap the pan several times to break any air bubbles. Bake the cake for 50-55 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake’s centre comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. When the cake is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pan and let it continue to cool on the wire rack before serving.