Recipe 2: Lemon-Blueberry Zucchini Loaf

Let's sweeten things up for our second zucchini recipe, shall we?

(Hint: we shall.)

I have a sweet tooth. I know, I know. Here's your shocked face. (Insert not-at-all-shocked face here.)  So, naturally, in my pin-happy state the other day, I felt giddy surprise to discover oodles of sweet recipes for zucchini. Hurrah!

I also found several versions of zucchini loaves. Some were savory (bacon-cheese-zucchini bread anyone?) and others were "classic" (zucchinis and walnuts), and others were true dessert-type situations (coffee cake with streusel topping, fruit-filled cakes, etc.)  I ended up choosing a fruit version as my first zucchini "bread" because I had the ingredients at the ready and I needed a dessert that didn't involve peanuts. (Sad side story: the other night, quite out of nowhere, I broke out in a whack rash all over my back and shoulders and chest after eating a peanut-dense dessert I'd made. Now, while I'm not 100% certain I have somehow developed a random peanut allergy at this stage of my existence, I'm not 100% sure I haven't-- the timing, after all, seems suspect. Thus, I've made an appointment with an allergist and am steering clear of peanuts in the interim. Fruit-filled desserts to the rescue!)

I based my loaf off of I Am A Honey Bee's Lemony Raspberry Zucchini Bread with a Lemony Glaze recipe. Of course you'll notice right off that I made some changes since mine is blueberry and not raspberry; nor can I in good consciousness call it "bread" when it's obviously a cake. Also? I skipped the glaze on top. (The jury is split on that decision, though, as I felt it didn't need it at all, but my husband and mom both remarked that they wouldn't have minded it being on there.)

Here's what I did.

Lemon-Blueberry Zucchini Loaf

Yield: 1 9"-loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups (240g) unbleached all-purpose flour (seriously, if you haven't already, get yourself a food scale and start weighing your ingredients, ESPECIALLY flour. I can't tell you how easy it is to over-measure flour and ruin your whole baked good. You know who CAN tell you all about that shiz, though? This lady, who authors my fave baking blog.)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed-- mine took 2 lemons)
zest of 2 lemons (I increased this from the 1 lemon in the original recipe)
1 cup grated, packed zucchini (squeezed dry like yesterday)
1 1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen--I used some I'd frozen from fresh a while back when blueberries were on sale and I had too many. The original recipe called for 1 cup raspberries.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch loaf pan and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and sugar until blended. (The original recipe called for a stand mixer but that seemed unnecessary to me so I just whisked it and it worked quite well AND didn't require dirtying extra materials. Hurrah!) Add the milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and whisk again.

(Sorry for the shadowy photos. Like I mentioned in my previous post,

the weather wasn't the best while I was baking, so I had to turn on

alllll the interior lights which isn't ideal for photography.)

4. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold in the zucchini until combined with the wet ingredients.

5. Fold in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined/moistened. Be careful not to over-mix (it'll make your loaf dense and yucky.)

6. Toss blueberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour (so they don't sink to the bottom of the loaf when they cook) and fold into the mixture. Again, be gentle and careful not to over-work the dough.

7. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until toothpick or knife inserted near center comes out clean and it's golden on top. (The original recipe said 45 minutes. Mine took 60. Just keep your eye on it.) Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Mmmm...

 

If you want the glaze, make it while the loaf cools and drizzle it on once the loaf has cooled. Allow to set before serving. (I haven't tried the glaze, but the original blogger's recipe called for 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice. I've made a similar glaze before and it worked out okay. That'll be your call!)

The verdict? This was SCRUMPTIOUS. Moist. Flavorful. Just sweet enough. I loved it. Then again, when blueberries and lemons hang out, it's a perfect fit. I felt confident it would taste good, even if I'd also invited zucchini to the party. (You couldn't taste the zucchini, by the way, but it adds moisture and nutrients.)

Nevertheless, when I asked who wanted a slice (still warm, I might add...ahhhhhhh! SO good), my husband said, "Oh...um, zucchini bread? Um, I *guess* I'll try it." He was making sidelong glances at it as though it would be awful. He ended up having seconds. So there. And my older daughter--the zucchini-hater--stole a bite off the counter and said, "This is delicious." My younger daughter agrees.

I predict this will be a recipe I make again and again. I'll give it a whirl at some point with the raspberries since I like those flavors together, too. I may even try the glaze. Maybe.

Check back in again tomorrow for a zucchini snack dip with a fun name!