This gently spiced, incredibly moist Zucchini Bread strikes the perfect balance between sweet and savory. It's a delicious, homey dessert that takes little time to prepare and makes a perfect last-minute dessert.
Similar to our Banana Nut Bread, in this recipe, I use a combination of nuts and dried fruit for great flavor and texture. But instead of raisins or cranberries, I use sweetened dried sour cherries.
If people ask about my favorite recipe, I can't typically point to just one recipe. Because let's face it, the world has too many amazing dishes!
But this recipe deserves a place in the top 25.
This recipe results in an incredibly moist quick bread that tastes more like a cake than bread. What's the secret? Sweetened sour cherries! They work beautifully with the spices in this recipe.
What You'll Need To Make This Recipe
2 cups grated ZUCCHINI. About two medium zucchini grated using a box grater like this one.
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ cups FLOUR. All-purpose
- 2 teaspoons BAKING SODA
- 1 teaspoon SALT
- 1 cup SUGAR
WET INGREDIENTS
- 2 large EGGS
- ⅓ cup OIL. I use sunflower oil, but any vegetable oil will work.
- ⅓ cup YOGURT. For this recipe, I use whole milk vanilla or maple yogurt.
SPICES
- 1 teaspoon LEMON ZEST. Use from one lemon
- 1 teaspoon CINNAMON
- 1 teaspoon VANILLA EXTRACT
- ½ cup WALNUTS
- 1 cup DRIED CHERRIES
This is a great recipe to make with kids. While you can use an electric mixer, you can also just use a whisk. Ready for the oven in 15 minutes, this recipe is perfect when you're looking to quickly whisk up something special.
How To Make Zucchini Bread
Making this moist quick bread is really easy and takes just 15 minutes of prep time.
The most important tip is to measure your ingredients before you get started. After that it's simple. Combine all of the ingredients as described below.
PREP
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x4 loaf pan.
- Use a large bowl to combine eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, yogurt, lemon zest, and cinnamon. Use a whisk or an electric mixer and blend until smooth.
- Fold in grated zucchini.
MAKING THE BATTER
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt to the batter. Mix with a whisk until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Fold dried sour cherries and walnuts into the batter. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of each to drizzle over the top.
BAKING
- Bake the loaf for 50-60 minutes at 350°.
- Use a wooden toothpick to check for doneness. If the batter sticks to the tester inserted into the loaf, simply increase the baking time in 5-minute increments. Cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- If you are looking to double the recipe, no problem you can safely do it with this recipe.
- I love making this recipe with maple-flavored yogurt, but if you can't get your hands on this flavor, try vanilla instead.
- Experiment! You can also use this batter to make zucchini bread muffins or mini loaves.
- If you don't have dried cherries, you can substitute them with dried raisins or cranberries. But I do recommend that you try this recipe with dried cherries.
About Zucchini
- Did you know that zucchini is the world's most moist vegetable? In fact, they consist of about 95% of water! Does this mean you should remove the excess moisture before adding the zucchini to the batter?
- In my opinion: NO. You'll want that flavorful moisture in your bread.
STORING
Wrap the bread in cling film or in an airtight container and store for up to 4 days at room temperature. If you store the zucchini bread in the fridge it will last for about 7-10 days.
FREEZING ZUCCHINI BREAD
Yes you can freeze zucchini bread. Wrap the loaf in plastic foil and store it in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. You can easily keep it for 3-4 months in the freezer. To defrost the bread, simply defrost it at room temperature.
More Amazing Desserts
- Banana Bread Muffins
- White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
- German Streuselkuchen
- Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅓ cup oil
- ⅓ cup yogurt vanilla or maple
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from one lemon
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated zucchini about two medium zucchini
- 1½ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 cup dried cherries
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x4 loaf pan.
Making The Batter
- Combine eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Use a whisk or an electric mixer and blend until smooth. Fold in grated zucchini.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt to the batter. Mix with a whisk until all the ingredients are well combined. Fold in dried sour cherries and walnuts into the batter. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of each to drizzle over the top.
Baking
- Bake the loaf for 50-60 minutes at 350°. Use a wooden toothpick to check for doneness.
