Coconut Zucchini Loaf Cake

Hi Bakers!

We are just over the halfway mark of summer break, so I wanted to give a shoutout to the MVPs helping me hold down the fort. I’m talking about fresh summer produce that turns into full meals, our favorite outdoor toys, and some simple gear for getting to our destinations and back. And of course, zucchini, the superstar of everyone’s garden right now.

Fresh Tomatoes - half the harvest gets eaten by my kids outside, but the half that make it into the kitchen have been some of the best tomatoes of my life! Make them the stars of your salad, slip thick slices into grilled cheese sandwiches, and grate large ones into a sizzling pan of garlic oil to make a quick tomato sauce for pasta.

Zucchini - when I’m not grating zucchini to fold into cake batter (my obvious first choice for an abundance of squash), I love making zucchini pasta. Cook half until it’s soft and saucey, then add the second half, sautéing until tender but still with a little bite to it. Add pasta and plenty of pesto.

Corn - name a dish that isn’t made better with sweet corn? When I can’t get easy access to the grill, I either boil whole cobs or char the kernels over the open flame of my stove. Add to pasta, taco bowls, or make a street corn dip with cottage cheese, plain yogurt, lime, and jalapeño.

Blueberries - while our backyard bushes failed to produce fruit this year, we got pounds and pounds of blueberries from the you-pick farm. I’ve been adding them to smoothies, making berry crisps, a big batch of jam, and eating handfuls straight-up every day.

Pop-up Badminton - we’ve had our set for a few years now, and it is seriously the best $75 I’ve ever spent. Play a few rounds in the morning, during the mid-afternoon slump, and after dinner while the sun is still out late. For my youngest, she likes hitting balloons with the long-handled rackets for some early hand-eye coordination.

Reusable Water Balloons - these are the most genius water toys on the market. No bits of plastic left behind. No waiting forever to fill and tricky ties. The kids can fill themselves in seconds and use them again and again.

Adjustable Jump Ropes - I found some adjustable jump ropes that are perfect for all heights. Remove some beading then tie off the handles. Easy!

Wireless Speaker - I don’t know how to do summers without music. Inexpensive without needing an app. I’m constantly having to re-charge ours, but it’s so fun when paired with any of the above.

Metal Bento Boxes - we have these in a couple sizes. Lighter than glass without the worry of them breaking and more sustainable than plastic. I usually fill two for most of our outings: one with dry snacks (crackers, cashews, dried fruit, gingersnaps, pretzels, fruit leather) and one with wet (grapes, cucumbers, cut peppers, cheese strings). They would be great for sneaking in slices of zucchini cake too - just saying.

Travel Bag of Tricks - after summer baseball, I just kept the bag of activities in the car. We usually have workbooks, markers, notebooks, seek-and-find activities, and plain paper for whenever we want to extend a coffee date or fill time between activities.

Water Hiking Shoes - my brother gifted me a pair of Merrell Hydro Mocs last Christmas. While I don’t do any major hiking, this is the perfect shoe for our neighborhood river adventures and climbing the rocky shores of the Burrard Inlet and Howe Sound.

Quick-Dry Towels - these thin towels pack up super small into day packs - especially when my little ones want to dip their toes in at the beach or creek when we didn’t plan for a full water day.

Okay, about this cake. Zucchini bread is one of my brother’s favorites. I’ve been making it for him ever since I used to live in his loft after university and when I first fell in love with baking. With my family in town, I ended up baking two loaves in less than 24 hours earlier this week.

The trick to a moist, not soggy, zucchini bread is to squeeze out any excess moisture. Your supermarket variety likely has a different amount of water in it than the ones from your neighbor’s backyard or the farmer’s market. To remedy this variable, we remove the water then replace it with something more flavorful. In this case, coconut milk.

I also used coconut oil to add flavor and moisture to the cake. The cream cheese frosting is whipped with coconut milk, as well. And while the flavor isn’t super strong, it pairs superbly with the zucchini cake and slight tang of the cream cheese. You could easily add toasted coconut flakes on top for a bit of texture too.

2 to 3 medium zucchinis
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
½ cup (120ml) coconut oil, melted
2 eggs
⅓ cup (80ml) coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ¾ cup (220g) all-purpose flour

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

• Grate about 2 cups worth of shredded zucchini using a box grater. Scoop it into the middle of a few paper towels and give the zucchini a good squeeze to eliminate excess water. Measure the zucchini - you should have 255g or about 2 cups (not packed). Set aside.

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in the coconut milk.

• Add the baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Add the flour and stir together until combined. Add the zucchini and fold until evenly distributed (it will seem like a lot of zucchini).

• Scrape the batter into the pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

• Cool the cake on a wire rack for 30 minutes before removing it from the pan. Continue to cool completely before adding the frosting.

2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 cup (260g) confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tbsp coconut milk

• In a bowl with an electric mixer (a hand mixer is good here), blend the cream cheese and butter together until creamy.

• Add the sugar and coconut milk and start mixing on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth. The frosting should be thick enough to spread over the top of the cooled cake.

• Slice and enjoy!

• The cake is best right after assembling when the crumb is soft and frosting silky.

• Beyond that, it needs to be stored in the refrigerator. It still tastes great when it is cold from the fridge, but the cake will be firmer.