I really like this recipe with zucchini because it isn't as greasy as most zucchini "bread" recipes. Sometimes I add raisins instead of walnuts which I think goes really well with the zucchini. Also I often substitute whole wheat flour for half of the flour which gives it a nice heartier texture. This recipe is very versatile.
This is really a great recipe. It's fast and easy and doesn't have a lot of ingredients. A good thing to note is that the batter is very coarse and thick until you add the carrot zucchini or apple to it; after that the batter becomes a really nice consistency. Makes great muffins too!
~An overall awesome recipe! I have tried the carrot version a number of times and it always turn out SO moist and delicious. The oil is a lot easier than butter or margarine and I found that this recipe uses less oil then any other carrot cake recipe I have tried. It beat my favorite cookbooks' carrot cake recipe! The only thing is that every time I make it I have to ad about 1/4 cup of water, otherwise the cake does not look like a cake batter. Nevertheless, it turns out AWESOME and MOIST!!! Thanks Carla!~~
Only just misses 5 stars. I made it using 3 cups carrot and 1 cup zucchini. This recipe uses far less oil than most recipes of this variety and I believe that's because it uses double the carrot (zucchini/apple) that other recipes do. The result is a super moist yet not heavy cake. Two things that need a little tinkering. First is sugar - 2 cups is WAY too much. I found 1-1/2 cups to be perfect. The second is the spice. As written it was inadequate to my palate. I would up the cinnamon to 3 tsp (or one TB ) the nutmeg is fine when using apple but I'd add 1/4 tsp allspice and 1/4 tsp cloves as well and get rid of the nutmeg altogether if using only zucchini and/or carrot (meaning when apple is not used.) The 40 minute timing was dead-on in my meticulously calibrated oven using a 9"X13" pan. Frosted it when cool with a not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting.
The "batter" turned out crumbly. You need to add another 1/2 cup of oil and 2 more eggs to get the batter consistency. The flour to wet ingredient ration is not correct. This recipe will not be successful without it. After the extra ingredients are added then it is a wonderful cake!
This bread was very moist.I used a combination of carrots and apple...yumm! I recommend that you put a little salt on the zuchinni and let the zuchinni sit for 20-25 minutes. This will get some of the water out of the zuchinni, making a lighter bread. (If you use the zuchinni.) I used brown sugar in place of the white sugar, and it was just as tasty. I also cut the amount of sugar, and the bread was still naturally sweet and yummy.
4/7/05 This is Very Yummy. My whole family loved it!! (Even those who don't like carrots). I was nervous about how dry the mixture was at first, as it said "Pour into pans" I thought no way this is ever going to pour, so I came back to the web and read the reviews... Dumpped the carrots in and sure enough, it all worked out beautifully. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
*** 9/27/06 *** We still use this recipe!! It's a family Favorite!
Notice that a lot of reviews describe this cake as "moist". Well that's not the word I would use. I'd go with "wet". Or maybe "gooey". It's also sickeningly sweet. I used only one and a half cups of sugar and it was so sweet that just one bite left me with an unpleasant aftertaste of sugar in my mouth for the rest of the day. I made the apple version of this cake for an office party and the only way I could console myself for the embarrassment I endured was with the thought of writing a negative review later. I don't think I will try this recipe again but if for some reason I do I'll use one cup of sugar and three cups of apple. That might be slightly more palatable.
This (carrot) cake was absolutely delicious! I added a little bit of flaked coconut and my little ones devoured it even my picky 5 year old! I was searching for a carrot cake that didn't use as much oil as the others and this is definitely one! This recipe is a keeper!!
