You’ve always wanted to hide some veggies in your bakes without anyone noticing? Well, then take a look at the recipe for this delicious (Sugar-reduced) Zucchini Loaf Cake here. With this one here you can slip some vitamins into your family’s diet… and they won’t even notice. Sounds fun, right?
Before you serve this zucchini pie you might want to ask about any food intolerances though… there are plenty of people out there who are allergic to nuts, some of them might have problems with zucchini, too. Who knows?! Maybe you shouldn’t ask directly when serving the cake, but some time in advance so they don’t know what’s gonna happen right away. I always ask people what kind of food allergies they have… just in case I ever wanted to bake or cook something for them (I really do that all the time).
Anyway. With this zucchini cake, you will surely get all those veggie skeptics on board (without them knowing). They won’t notice that they have zucchini on their plate. I love serving cakes like that so I can ask afterward »…and how did the veggies taste? Were they good?« Similar to »…did you know this was vegan? You probably did not even notice.«
The zucchini cake is heavy, moist, and super delicious. One slice will make you full. Unlike a piece of meringue, for example. Dense and moist cakes like this one here tend to be a bit soggy on the bottom if you are not baking them enough. They might look ready on top, but the bottom can still be a bit raw. Make sure to test with a wooden skewer and check if the cake is done. Depending on the oven and/or baking tin you are using, the baking times can vary a lot and by testing with the skewer you make sure the bottom is baked and not raw batter anymore.
I classified the cake as »sugar-reduced« because you can easily replace regular white sugar with xylitol here. If you have been baking sugar-free cakes already and know about the effects xylitol can have on your stomach, you can use the amounts as indicated in the recipe. If you are new to the »world of sugar substitutes«, be warned: xylitol when eaten in large quantities can cause stomach problems.
In case you eat something with a high dosage and your stomach does not know yet what to do with the xylitol, you might have to visit the loo for number two more often than usual. The recommended limit of xylitol per serving is not reached with a slice of cake – provided you use the quantities indicated in the recipe. But if you decide to eat several pieces of cake at once, or your body is new to the xylitol game, well… that can cause issues. Nothing dangerous, but possibly unpleasant in some cases. So be warned.
Something you can do to avoid issues and still save some calories/sugar: replace only half of the sugar with xylitol, for example. You can use the sugar replacement for the cake batter and prepare the glaze with regular confectioners’ sugar. Xylitol icing sugar is f***ing expensive anyway, so you would be doing yourself a favor and the possibility of a xylitol »overdose« is basically nonexistent. Even when eating more than a slice in one sitting.
If you don’t want to or can’t eat the glaze because of the regular sugar, just scrape it off the cake. Pretty easy and everyone can still enjoy the delicious cake.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the batter:
7 oz. (200g) butter, at room temperature
5.3 oz. (150g) xylitol* (or regular sugar)
4 medium eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract (sugar-free)*
3 cups (360g) spelt flour*
4 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt
5.3 oz. (150g) sour cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 organic lemon, zest only
7 oz. (200g) zucchini, grated (see note)
For the glaze:
1 cup (130g) powdered xylitol* (or regular confectioners’ sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla extract (sugar-free)*
2-3 tbsp. heavy cream
a few chopped pistachios for decorations
Für den Teig:
200g weiche Butter
150g Xylit* (oder Zucker)
4 Eier (M)
1 TL Vanille Extrakt (ohne Zucker)*
360g Dinkelmehl (Type 630)*
4 TL Backpulver
1 Prise Salz
150g Schmand
1 EL Zitronensaft
1/2 Bio-Zitrone, nur Abrieb
200g Zucchini, geraspelt (s. Hinweis)
Für die Glasur:
130g Xylit Puderzucker* (oder normaler Puderzucker)
1 TL Vanille Extrakt (ohne Zucker)*
2-3 EL Schlagsahne
ein paar gehackte Pistazien für die Dekoration
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a large loaf pan and line it with a piece of baking parchment. Set aside. Wash the zucchini with hot water, dry and remove the slightly softer inside (with the seeds) – grate the rest, but not too fine. Set aside.
2. Add the butter and xylitol (or sugar) to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one after another and mix well after each addition. Next, add the vanilla extract and mix it in. Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt, mix the sour cream with lemon juice and lemon zest, then add the flour mixture and sour cream mixture in two batches to the bowl and mix until just combined. Add the grated zucchini and fold it in.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smooth out the top and bake for about 55-70 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The baking time can vary a lot depending on the moisture coming from the grated zucchini and the type/size of the loaf pan you use, so don’t worry if it takes longer. Just make sure you check with the wooden skewer to see if the cake is done. If the cake gets darker towards the end of the baking time, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and continue baking. Take the finished cake out of the oven and let it cool in the loaf pan for about 30 minutes, then carefully remove it from the loaf pan and let it cool down completely on a wire rack.
4. For the glaze mix the powdered sugar with the vanilla extract and some of the heavy cream. Add more heavy cream until you get a glaze with a thick and slow-dripping consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cake and sprinkle some chopped pistachios on top. Allow the glaze to set before cutting.
Note: For 200g of grated zucchini you will need about 400-500g of zucchini because the amount of zucchini flesh (with the seeds) that has to be removed is quite big.
1. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Eine große Kastenform leicht einfetten und mit einem Stück Backpapier auslegen. Zur Seite stellen. Die Zucchini heiß abwaschen und trocknen, dann das etwas weichere Innere (mit den Samen) entfernen und den Rest nicht zu fein raspeln. Zur Seite stellen.
2. Die Butter und das Xylit in einer großen Schüssel hell und luftig aufschlagen. Die Eier einzeln dazugeben und jeweils gut unterrühren. Vanille Extrakt dazugeben und unterrühren. Das Mehl mit Backpulver und Salz vermischen, den Schmand mit Zitronensaft und Zitronenschale verrühren, dann Mehlmischung und Schmandmischung in jeweils zwei Portionen zur Schüssel dazugeben und nur kurz unterrühren. Die geraspelten Zucchini dazugeben und ebenfalls nur kurz unterrühren.
3. Den Teig in die vorbereitete Form füllen, glatt streichen und dann für etwa 55-70 Minuten backen bzw. mit einem Holzspieß testen, ob noch Teig kleben bleibt, und den Kuchen erst herausholen, wenn dieser sauber herauskommt. Je nachdem, wie viel Feuchtigkeit durch die Zucchini in den Teig kommt und was für eine Backform ihr verwendet, kann die Backzeit stark variieren. Sollte der Kuchen gegen Ende der Backzeit etwas dunkel werden, mit einem Stück Alufolie abdecken und weiterbacken. Den fertigen Kuchen aus dem Ofen holen und in der Form für etwa 30 Minuten abkühlen lassen, dann vorsichtig aus der Form lösen und auf einem Kuchengitter komplett auskühlen lassen.
4. Für die Glasur den Puderzucker mit Vanille Extrakt und etwas Sahne verrühren, dann ggf. mehr Sahne dazugeben, bis die Konsistenz passt und schön dickflüssig ist zum Glasieren des Kuchens. Den abgekühlten Kuchen damit dekorieren und mit ein paar gehackten Pistazien bestreuen. Glasur fest werden lassen vor dem Anschneiden.
Hinweis: Für 200g geraspelte Zucchini braucht ihr eine etwa 400-500g große Zucchini, weil der Anteil, der entfernt werden sollte, recht groß ist.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Zucchini Loaf Cake (sugar reduced)
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:45
- Total Time: 02:00
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: -
- Cuisine: United States
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
If you want your family to eat some veggies you got to serve this Zucchini Loaf Cake – they will not know that they are eating something »healthy«.
Ingredients
For the batter:
7 oz. (200g) butter, at room temperature
5.3 oz. (150g) xylitol* (or regular sugar)
4 medium eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract (sugar-free)*
3 cups (360g) spelt flour*
4 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt
5.3 oz. (150g) sour cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 organic lemon, zest only
7 oz. (200g) zucchini, grated (see note)
For the glaze:
1 cup (130g) powdered xylitol* (or regular confectioners‘ sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla extract (sugar-free)*
2-3 tbsp. heavy cream
a few chopped pistachios for decorations
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a large loaf pan and line it with a piece of baking parchment. Set aside. Wash the zucchini with hot water, dry and remove the slightly softer inside (with the seeds) – grate the rest, but not too fine. Set aside.
2. Add the butter and xylitol (or sugar) to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one after another and mix well after each addition. Next, add the vanilla extract and mix it in. Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt, mix the sour cream with lemon juice and lemon zest, then add the flour mixture and sour cream mixture in two batches to the bowl and mix until just combined. Add the grated zucchini and fold it in.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smooth out the top and bake for about 55-70 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The baking time can vary a lot depending on the moisture coming from the grated zucchini and the type/size of the loaf pan you use, so don’t worry if it takes longer. Just make sure you check with the wooden skewer to see if the cake is done. If the cake gets darker towards the end of the baking time, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and continue baking. Take the finished cake out of the oven and let it cool in the loaf pan for about 30 minutes, then carefully remove it from the loaf pan and let it cool down completely on a wire rack.
4. For the glaze mix the powdered sugar with the vanilla extract and some of the heavy cream. Add more heavy cream until you get a glaze with a thick and slow-dripping consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cake and sprinkle some chopped pistachios on top. Allow the glaze to set before cutting.
Notes
For 200g of grated zucchini you will need about 400-500g of zucchini because the amount of zucchini flesh (with the seeds) that has to be removed is quite big.
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