Ok. Winter may ‘officially’ be over, but when the sky turns a charcoal gray and rain darkens the pavement, it’s time to retreat indoors…and bake.
This super simple bread+cake hybrid is so damn delicious (did we mention it has cream cheese frosting?), but packed with nutritious vegetables to take the edge off your guilt when you cut yourself a second slice. Thanks to Flourishing Foodie for the recipe!
Courgette & Carrot Loaf
makes 1 loaf
What you’ll need:
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar* (see below if you’re having a hard time finding brown sugar here!)
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup golden raisins (we omitted these)
- 1 8oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
What you’ll do:
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF/163ºC.
- In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and butter. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Slowly add the dry to the wet. Stir until combined.
- Add the zucchini, carrots, and raisins. Combine.
- Grease a loaf pan. Pour the batter into the pan, and give it a few taps on the counter to spread the batter.
- Place into the oven and bake for 1 hr. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 min in the pan. Remove from the pam and let cool on a wire rack for 50 min – 1 hr.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Spread the cream cheese icing onto the cooled loaf. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Can be stored in the fridge for a week. Enjoy with coffee or a big glass of milk. Bon appétit!
*having a hard time finding brown sugar here in Switzerland? We just ordered 6 bags from ch.iHerb.com (and it lasts for years!)–you can find it here.
