Garden Harvest Cake from Cooking Light Magazine is a quick and easy zucchini bread made with apples, carrots and nuts. It was a finalist in the Cooking Light Ultimate Reader Recipe Contest. The recipe calls for an 8x4 inch pan, which is what I used for the loaf in the first picture. The loaf in the second picture was made in a 9x5 inch pan, so it's short. So this is an example of why you should try to use the correct size loaf pan. That said, the bread is really good no matter what size pan you use.
Here's a link to the original recipe on Cooking Light so you can read all the reviews and changes people made. Garden Harvest Cake seems to be open to a lot of improvisation!
Recipe
Garden Harvest Cake
Garden Harvest Cake is an 8x4 inch quick bread that can be served as breakfast, snack or dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour 4.5 oz,
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup grated peeled Granny Smith apple about 1 medium
- ½ cup grated carrot about 1 medium
- ½ cup shredded zucchini
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts toasted
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup nonfat buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
- In a mixing bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- Add grated apple, grated carrot, shredded zucchini, and walnuts to flour mixture; toss well.
- Combine canola oil, buttermilk, and eggs in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined.
- Spoon batter into the loaf pan and bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove cake from pan. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Katherine says
Finally got around to making this, and it's so good. I used whole wheat flour, and since I did not have an apple - I used some chunky unsweetened applesauce. I also threw in some coconut. Great healthy snack!
Ashley says
Mmm that loaf looks good. I'll have to try this recipe out!
Deanie says
Hi Anna! Guess what I had for breakfast today? And all week...I made this too this past weekend and loved it. Mine was a little darker than yours though, probably because I used white whole wheat flour, and added a little ground flax. I shredded the apple with skin too. It was so moist, I am going to try to cut down on the oil next time even. My husband liked it too but would like it better without the nuts. I also made the raspberry/lemmon muffins too but used strawberries and white whole wheat flour again. Great minds....ha!
LilSis says
Hi Anna,
I agree, your family is very lucky! The bread recipe looks fantastic. The only time that I eat zucchini is in a bread. This looks very similar to the last recipe I made with carrots and zucchini but I don't think mine had apple in it. I'm going to make this for breakfast very soon.
Elyse says
I adore zucchini in baked goods! This bread looks super moist, super flavorful, and yep, super delicious! I wish I could have a slice for my breakfast right now. Getting up at 5:30am makes me hungry waaaay too early.
T. Martin says
Thanks for the very timely recipe Anna. I think I'm going to try to turn these into mini muffins for Easter.
PhillyGirl says
This looks like a great idea to use up the pulp ("roughies") from the juicer when I make carrot and apple juice.. I may have to add a little bit of the juice to get the moisture back in but otherwise it looks like a winner. Thanks!
Anna says
Okay, I won't feel guilty ;). Unfortunately it's now dinner time and I don't feel like making actual meal-food. Guess we'll have to go out.
CL, if I were to bake these as muffins, I'd probably start with 18 minutes. They might take up to 22.
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Cookie says
OMG you shouldn't be embarassed at all! Your family and friends are lucky that you love to bake so much. (Wait...you DO share right?) On some lazy weekends I just stay home and bake/cook ALL day and it totally relaxes me and gets me ready for another crazy week ahead!
Sue says
No reason to be embarrassed! I think it's great that you made more than one recipe and even happier that you shared it on your blog. I on the other hand don't even have dinner plans at this time of day!! OTOH, I did have a very productive non foodie day.
Natalie says
Looks yummy and healthy! I had zuchinni bread once, it was great!
C L says
Your timing is perfect, as always! Thank you, Anna! This quick bread looks like just the recipe to use when the zukes and carrots come on full force in a couple of months. My husband will be canning lots of his garden sauce, and I could bake this yummy bread to put in the freezer to give for gifts. Would this work as a muffin too? How long should the muffins bake and for long, I wonder? 🙂
Pearl says
oh it looks fabulous!
Katrina says
Well then I'm embarrassed, I baked three cookies yesterday! But I suppose no one will know because I'm not going to post them (all repeats). Oh wait, everyone reads your blog and will know if they see this comment. I'll shut up now. 😉
The bread looks yummy by the way!
Katie says
Yum! I'll have to try this. It would be a sneaky way to get my son to eat some veggies!
clumbsycookie says
I would only be embarraced if I baked 3 things. 2 is still ok, specially if it's healthy-ish!
Louise says
That looks really tasty. Something my Master Gardeners would like. 🙂