Description
This delicious Apple Zucchini Bread combines the moistness of zucchini with the sweet tartness of apples, enhanced by warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert, this quick bread is easy to make and offers a wholesome twist on classic zucchini bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil or avocado oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups (150g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)
Fruit and Toppings
- 1 heaping cup (125g) peeled and chopped apple
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar (for tossing apples)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for tossing apples)
- Optional: coarse sparkling sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. Set this mixture aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, applesauce, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients bowl. Add shredded zucchini. Gently stir or whisk until just combined, making sure not to overmix.
- Prepare Apples: In a small bowl, toss the peeled and chopped apples with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon to coat evenly.
- Fold Apples into Batter: Using a silicone spatula, gently fold the coated apples into the batter. The batter should be slightly thick.
- Fill and Bake: Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55–65 minutes. After 30 minutes, loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool Bread: Remove the bread from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Cool in the pan for 1 hour, then remove the loaf and place it directly on the cooling rack to cool completely for neater slicing.
- Store Bread: Cover and store the bread at room temperature for up to 5 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked and cooled loaf tightly wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving if desired.
- Special Tools: Use a 9×5-inch loaf pan, glass mixing bowls, a whisk, box grater, and cooling rack for best results.
- Apple Zucchini Muffins: This recipe can be adapted to about 16 muffins baked at 425°F for 5 minutes then reduced to 350°F for 18 minutes.
- Whole Wheat Flour Substitute: You can replace all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, but expect a denser loaf; mixing half all-purpose and half whole wheat is a lighter option.
- Applesauce Substitute: Sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mashed banana can be used instead of applesauce.
- Apple Variety Tips: Use a mix of red and green apples such as Honeycrisp and Granny Smith for the best texture and flavor. Other good baking apple varieties include Fuji, Jazz, Jonagold, and Pink Lady.
- Apple Preparation: Chopped apples offer better texture compared to shredding; toss apples in cinnamon and sugar for added flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (about 1/12 loaf)
- Calories: 210 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
