Cookbook Countdown #4 : Meredith's Zucchini Bread

Cookbook Countdown is a monthly cooking/baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  Everyone is welcome to join us. How does it work? To summarize, you may select a cookbook from your own cookbook collection, to cook or bake from each month. That selected book shall be your cookbook of the month. You may cook any recipes and as many recipes as you want from your selected book of the month. This is a fabulous way of using your cookbooks at least once! For more information on how to join Cookbook Countdown, please click here. 

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Cookbook Countdown #4 : Recipe No. 2 - Meredith's Zucchini Bread

from my selected cookbook for this month, Bake by Rachel Allen

This is a lovely, very tasty cake (not a bread!). I've made half a recipe for one loaf (full recipe makes 2 loaves). As usual, I've reduced the sugar and have omitted the walnuts and ground cloves.

Easy and simple to make. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the other ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Pour into the loaf pans and bake in a preheated oven at 150C for about 1-1/4 hours or until done. Mine was done at 1 hour.

The cake is moist and soft, not too sweet (after I've reduced the sugar), and very tasty. Bits of zucchini are speckled over each slice. This is the kinda cake that is great for breakfast, tea-time snack or just to snack on when you are feeling a little hungry. With a cup of warm tea!

Meredith's Zucchini Cake
(adapted from "Bake", by Rachel Allen)
Makes 2 loaves
400gm (14oz) plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
300gm (11oz) caster sugar
100gm (3-1/2oz) demerara sugar
3 eggs, beaten
200ml (7fl oz) sunflower oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
380gm (13oz) courgettes, grated (with the skin left on)
75gm (3oz) walnuts, chopped

Two 13x23cm (5x9in) loaf tins

1. Preheat the oven to 150C (300F), Gas Mark 2. Butter or oil and flour the loaf tins.
2. In a large bowl, sift in the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and spices. Add both sugars and stir well to mix.
3. Add the beaten eggs, oil, vanilla extract and grated courgettes to the dry ingredients and mix well until combined. Add the walnuts, mix in and divide the mixture between the two prepared loaf tins.
4. Bake in the oven for 1-1/4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve on its own or toasted and buttered.

Rachel's Baking Tip :

Tightly wrapped in cling film, these loaves keep well for up to 10 days.

Kitchen Flavour's notes :
I've made half a recipe to make one loaf and have reduced the sugar to :
110gm caster sugar
30gm soft brown sugar

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

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