Can’t get to the tropics? This Tropical Twist Zucchini Bread will take you there! I wanted to alter my favorite recipe a bit for a different take on zucchini bread. I’m hoping that my youngest grandson will take a bite of it before I tell him the ingredients. You see, he loves pineapple, but was eating some cooked zucchini one night and thought he was eating one of his other favorites, cucumbers. Since that moment of parent trickery, he refers to them as “fake cucumbers”. Only he would come up with that name! Anyway, for a tropical flare, I added not only pineapple, coconut and zucchini, but also some macadamia nuts. If you prefer a different type of nut or no nuts at all, this will still be fabulous to share!
Let’s get started:
Whisk together the flour, spices, baking powder and baking soda with the nuts, if using. Coating the choppped nuts will help the nuts suspend themselves in the batter and prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
With a whisk, blend in the dry ingredients to the wet mixture containing eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla.
The Mix Ins:
You are almost to the finish line! I drained a large can of crushed pineapple and measured out the amount needed. The remaining juice and crushed pineapple will be saved to put into a smoothie. The grated zucchini along with the sweetened coconut and pineapple were mixed into the batter with a wooden spoon until equally distributed.
The Bake:
Pour the batter between 2 prepared 9′ x 5″ loaf pans. You could use either Baker’s Joy or grease and flour them to help with removal. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the pans cool for about 10 minutes on a cooling rack. Then, run offset spatula or knife along edges to help release sides. Tap out and invert back onto rack to finish cooling.
Time to eat!
Once cooled, it should be sliced and devoured. This Tropical Twist Zucchini Bread is a wonderful thing to share with friends and family who may not like to cook. I’m thinking about trying a muffin version of this to trick the little man who I mentioned at the start of this post. I’ll let you know if I have been able to convert him more to the green side of food. Enjoy your summer and buy some local produce at your Farmer’s Market or closest yard stand!
Tropical Twist Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 c canola oil
- 1-3/4 c granulated sugar
- 2 t vanilla
Dry Ingredients
- 3 c all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 t baking soda
- 1/2 t baking powder
- 1 t salt
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1 t nutmeg
- 1/4 t cloves
Mix Ins
- 3/4 c chopped macadamia ( or preferred) nuts..pecans, walnuts or none
- 3/4 c sweetened coconut
- 1 c drained crushed pineapple (18 oz or larger can) reserve extra juice and pineapple for a smoothie
- 2 c shredded zucchini I used a box grater.
Instructions
- Blend wet ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep 2- 9" x 5" loaf pans with Baker's Joy or grease and flour. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients then toss in the nuts, if using, to coat. This will help them suspend in the batter rather than sink to the bottom when baking.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and mix just until no flour is visible.
- Gently mix in the remaining ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until equally distributed.
- Split batter evenly between the 2 loaf pans.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool on cooling rack for about 10-15 minutes in their pans. Then invert and place back upright to finish cooling to room temperature.
