I’m on a bit of a zucchini kick.
For a vegetable that doesn’t offer a whole heck of a lot of flavor on it’s own, it’s turning up on our table a lot these days. There was that simple zucchini salad last week, zucchini green chile fritters for dinner last night, and then this zucchini cake. NYTFood posted a pic on Instagram Sunday morning and it was just one of those, that-is-getting-done-today things. Most zucchini bread is nothing to write home about, usually just a spice loaf+ zucchini kind of thing, or even camouflaged with chocolate. But this cake? It’s flavored with fresh ginger, orange zest and juice, and is dotted with finely chopped hazelnuts. Done, done and done.
The overall flavor profile struck me as more Italian, so the one major change I made was to use olive oil instead of vegetable. The cake is deliciously moist and the nubbly bits of hazelnut give it good texture. It’s a cake i’d serve at tea (if I took tea) or for dessert. It might be tempting to add a drizzly glaze for visual interest, but this cake is already sweet and anything more would probably put it over the top.
RECIPE: NYTimes’ Zucchini Cake with Ginger and Hazelnuts
I had to go digging through a drawer looking for a tube pan and lo and behold, I apparently bought one at some point — maybe for angel food cake? A bundt pan or an 8.5 inch loaf pan will work just as well – you may just need to adjust baking time slightly.
You’ve gotta have a couple of extra zucchini sitting in your vegetable drawer, or inevitably some neighbor will drop some off. Make this cake.
Strands of zucchini, nubbly bits of hazelnut. Pure deliciousness.
RECIPE: NYTimes’ Zucchini Cake with Ginger and Hazelnuts
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