Friday, March 9, 2012

Zucchini Apple Carrot Bread












Eat your vegetables. No problem. Especially when the veggies are in this delicious quick bread with a blend of zucchini, carrots, apples and raisins. Carrot bread recipe on page 197 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook is a good one. The recipe below adds even more vegetables.


Zucchini Carrot Apple Bread

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

3 eggs

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Pinch of cloves

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini

1/2 cup plumped yellow raisins

1 cup finely diced, peeled apples

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped


Cream Cheese Drip Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 to 3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Orange juice as required


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 X 4 inch loaf pans or one Bundt pan. This recipe can also make 18 to 24 muffins. Place pans on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet.


In a mixer bowl, blend the sugar, butter, eggs, orange juice and vanilla. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet batter along with the shredded carrots, zucchini raisins apples and walnuts. Spoon into prepared pan(s).


Bake until done, about 1 hour, or until loaves spring back when gently touched with fingers. Cool to room temperature before icing.


Cream Cheese Drip Frosting - Place the cream cheese, butter, and most of the confectioners’ sugar in a food processor or mixer bowl. Blend, adding more of the confectioners’ sugar and drizzling in a bit of orange juice to make it a soft, fluffy topping. Add more confectioners’ sugar or orange juice if necessary for smooth consistency. Frost top of loaf or cake, it will drip down the sides, and garnish with shredded carrots and a dusting of cinnamon before serving.


Makes 8 to 12 servings. Freezes well.

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